July Rain II: Royalty In Name
by born-on-sunday
Summary: The sequel to July Rain. This story begins twelve years after July Rain I ended. Lorelai and Rory have to be stronger now than ever to make it through what their lives have in store. COMPLETE.
1. Heavy Heartbreaks

A/N: This sequel picks up 12 years later from the end of part one of July Rain. Lorelai is now 30 and Luke is 32. Rory is 14 and is about to start her freshman year of high school. I hope that those readers who enjoyed July Rain will also enjoy this fiction properly titled "July Rain II: Royalty In Name".

"You understand Ms. Gilmore that you're Grandmother specifically wanted it this way?"

"Yes, Mr. Shurtz I understand… I just can't imagine why." Lorelai replied, still in shock over the news.

Mr. Shurtz smiled. "Your Grandmother was a very stubborn and hardheaded woman. I asked her several times if this was truly what she wanted, and each and every time she replied 'I'm quite capable of making my own decisions, Mr. Shurtz.'"

Lorelai let a smile slide across her face as well. As she envisioned Trix saying those words.

"I'm very sorry about her death." Shurtz said in a much more serious and monotone voice. "She was an extraordinarily fine lady."

"She was indeed." Lorelai agreed. "Well, if that's all the business that needs taken care of today, I'll be leaving. I need to get home to my daughter."

"I'm sure the loss must be especially hard on her." Shurtz concluded. "Have you thought of how you're going to tell her about your Grandmother's will? I know situations like these are hard enough as they are, but to add something like this…"

"I'll figure out a way." Lorelai quickly replied as she stood to her feet. "Thank you, Mr. Shurtz, for being so corporative and caring."

Lorelai turned and left the lawyer's office. Losing her Grandmother had made life seem impossible to live. Lorelai had always put so much faith and trust into Trix that she was afraid of what may happen now that Trix would not be there to help her. To make matters more confusing, Lorelai had just discovered that Trix's entire estate and fortune was left to Rory. Rory would gain access and control to the estate and fortune when she turned 21. Until then, Lorelai would be the overseer. Lorelai had expected her and Rory to be in her Grandmother's will, and even expected a large amount of money, but never had she thought of such an extravagant gesture. Nevertheless, Lorelai would make sure that her Grandmother's estate and fortune would be properly taken care of until it was time for Rory to take over.

Lorelai reached the gate to the mansion where she and Rory had called home for the last twelve years. As she made her way into the driveway and up to the garage, she saw the door immediately open and her daughter's head stick out.

Rory walked out into the garage with her arms folded. Lorelai stepped out of the car.

"Hi, sweetheart." Lorelai greeted. "Did you remember to feed Samson?" Lorelai grabbed a suitcase and some papers out of the back seat.

"Yes." Rory shortly replied.

"Good… you should take him for a walk later. He's not been out in a few days." Lorelai continued on as if everything was as normal as normal could be.

"Did you see Trix's lawyer?" Rory directly asked, still standing with her arms folded.

"I did." Lorelai replied as she came closer to her daughter. "Don't worry, everything is taken care of." Lorelai walked up the steps from the garage and into the oversized kitchen.

"Well, what's going on?" Rory continued.

Lorelai paused for a second, then turned to her daughter. "We just went over her will. Don't worry about it right now, sweetheart. It's all a bunch of boring and complicated business stuff."

Rory realized her mother was not at liberty to discuss the subject and therefore she dropped it. "Grandpa called today…. He said he was sorry he missed the funereal. He was tied up in business."

A regretful look crossed Lorelai's face. "I'm sure he was." She opened the suitcase and placed the papers inside.

"He also said to tell you that if you needed anything you could call…"

"That won't be necessary."

Rory walked over to her mother. "That's what I told him."

Lorelai smirked. She was proud that Rory was turning out so much like her. They were so much alike that Lorelai sometimes found it freakishly abnormal. Determined to help ease Rory's mind about the loss of Trix, Lorelai had devised a plan for the next few days, which was to keep Rory busy and prove to her that life would go on without her great Grandmother around.

"Would you like to take the horses out today?" Lorelai asked. She knew this one of Rory's favorite activities. "I'm sure they'd enjoy the fine weather."

Rory lowered her eyes. "I'd rather not." She answered softly. "I don't feel much like riding."

"Well, we could go school shopping." Lorelai suggested.

"School doesn't start for another month."

"Hey, it's never too early to go school shopping."

A small sigh exited Rory's body. "Is it okay if we just hang around here today? Maybe we could watch some TV or something."

"Sure, if that's what you want." Lorelai replied sweetly. She was more than willing to do whatever Rory wanted, regardless of whether or not it fit into her plan. "I could rent some movies."

"Movies sound great." Rory's face brightened a little.

Later that evening, Rory and her mom snuggled up on the couch and enjoyed a peaceful evening of movies. Lorelai had only rented movies that she thought would uplift Rory's spirit and keep her from becoming more upset. Halfway through the fourth movie, Rory had fallen asleep on her Lorelai's shoulder. Unwilling to disturb her daughter, Lorelai position herself so that she too could fall asleep and did so soon after. The next morning, Lorelai woke up alone. She stood from the large sofa and stretched.

"Rory…" she called with a sleepy voice.

A maid entered into the room. "Good morning, Ms. Gilmore."

"Sondra, have you seen Rory?"

"Yes ma'am." The maid replied. "She's a bit upset this morning. I heard her in your Grandmother's bedroom. I'd check on her ma'am but I'm not sure what I'd say. I was going to wake you, but I figured you'd want your rest."

"That's alright, Sondra. I'll take care of it." Lorelai made her way up the stairs and to Trix's bedroom. She found Rory sitting quietly on the bed looking through old photo albums.

"Rory, sweetie, what are you doing up here?" Lorelai asked she sat down beside her.

"Looking at photos." Rory simply enough replied. "It just doesn't seem real that she's gone."

Lorelai gently removed the album from Rory's hands. "Only her body is gone. Her spirit will always be with us."

"Then I guess I'm selfish and greedy." Rory replied as her eyes began to fill with tears. "Because I want more than her spirit. I want _her…_all of her."

Lorelai embraced her daughter. "So do I… But we have to move on with our lives."

"This house is so empty… It's too big." Rory continued. "Why is it that it's so empty with only one person missing?"

"Rory, try to understand.." Lorelai directed Rory's eye contact to her. "I know this is hard… I wish I could take all your pain away, but you have to be strong. Be happy that Trix is in a better place. A place where she isn't sick anymore. She wouldn't want you to be sad all the time and upset. She'd want you to be living your life to the fullest and enjoying every moment."

Rory dried her eyes. She admired her mother so much. She was so strong in emotional situations. Rory knew that Lorelai had lost not only Emily but Joan as well and to see her lose yet another loved one, not to mention a mother figure, and still have such hope and understanding made Rory admire her even more.

"You'll see…" Lorelai smiled as she noticed her daughter's heavy heart begin to lighten. "We'll get along just fine. I promise."


	2. If It Makes You Happy

Lorelai secretly sneaked back into Trix's bedroom later that evening and indulged herself in the old picture albums. She came across a picture of Emily, Richard, and herself when she was a baby. A small sigh exited Lorelai, it had seemed like an eternity since Emily had passed away. Thinking of Emily lead her to think of Joan and how much she missed her as well. Sometimes, Lorelai still found herself feeling guilty over Joan's accident. She wanted so much for Joan to be a part of Rory's life. She thanked God for Trix. The one person who had not abandoned nor stopped loving her. Trix had been more of a mother figure than she was expected to be and her bond with Lorelai and Rory was immensely strong.

Lorelai glanced around the room. Rory was right, the house was so big and so empty, yet it never felt this way before. The glamorous and breathtaking mansion was feeling more and more like an old ramshackle house with memories being it's only hostess. Used to the idea of moving, and moving frequently, the thought of leaving behind Trix's house, at least for a while, darted into Lorelai's mind. It seemed logical to find a much smaller house or even perhaps a nice apartment for her and Rory. Then when Rory turned 21 she could do as she pleased with the house and rest of Trix's estate. Of course, that wouldn't be for another seven years, the house would fall to pieces by then without proper care. After pondering for several minutes, she finally came up with a practical solution. She would rent the house to someone who she believed would be honorable and responsible. This way she could not only make sure the house stayed in excellent condition but even bring in some extra money of her own so that she wasn't to use any of what was left from Trix's will. Convinced and satisfied, Lorelai next had to figure out how to persuade Rory of the idea.

"Mom…" a small voice called from the bedroom door. "I've been looking everywhere you."

Lorelai quickly closed the albums. "Just picking up where you left off." Lorelai replied. She stood from the bed and walked over to Rory. "Is there something you need?"

Rory handed the phone to Lorelai. "It's Grandpa again."

An astounded look covered Lorelai's face as she slowly took the phone. Unsure of why Richard would be calling twice in a few short days, she prepared herself for the most illogical and unreasonable thing she could think of.

"Hello?"

"Lorelai, this is Richard."

"Yes, Rory told me." Lorelai replied.

"Yes, well, excuse me for properly introducing myself over the phone. I've been discussing some matters with Mr. Shurtz and I was very shocked, to say the least, of what information I was given."

Lorelai put her hand over the phone and held it away from her mouth. "Rory, go downstairs…" she said firm yet politely.

Rory adhered to her mother and left her standing alone in Trix's room. After Rory was out of sight, Lorelai uncovered the phone.

"Look, I know what you're thinking…"

"Do you Lorelai?" Richard's belligerent voice replied. "Well, what is it that you think?"

Lorelai remained calm and patient, though Richard was testing her character. "You think it's ridiculous for Trix to leave her entire estate and fortune to Rory."

"Ridiculous is putting it _very _mildly. It's flat out preposterous! Trix's estate should have been split equally between Sabrina and I! It should not been given to some teenage girl who isn't even blood!"

"Hey!" Lorelai shouted into the phone. "Grandma prepared her will the way she wanted! I don't understand why she's done what she's done, but I'm sure she had a damn good reason for doing it!"

"How do I know Trix was even in a sane state of mind when she drew up her will? Only an insane old woman would do such a absurd thing. You should have stopped her, Lorelai. You should have had the decency in you to recognize her fragile state of mind and prevent this! You took advantage of her!"

"Me!" Lorelai roared into the phone, her voice cracking and popping with emotion. "I never even knew about this until yesterday morning! How dare you accuse me of taking advantage of Trix… you're the one who didn't even show up to her funereal."

Before Richard could retaliate Lorelai had hung up the phone and thrown it down the stairs. It landed on the wooden floor and shattered into several pieces. Sondra came running towards the stairwell and stopped when she saw a very angry Lorelai standing at the top.

"Is everything alright, ma'am?" Sondra asked timidly.

"Everything's fine, Sondra." Lorelai coolly replied. "Do you mind sweeping that up for me?"

Sondra gently shook her head, her mouth slightly gaping, "Not at all, ma'am."

"Thank you."

Lorelai slowly turned and walked into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

(The next morning)

"Rory, please say something…"

Rory glanced up at her mother. "Can we do it before school starts? I don't want to start high school somewhere and then have to move."

This wasn't exactly the statement Lorelai was expecting; Lorelai was impressed at how easily Rory was going along with the moving idea. "Sure… If we start looking now, I bet we can find something in just a few days. Maybe even something where you wouldn't have to change schools." Lorelai paused. "But, hey, if you don't like the idea…"

"I like the idea." Rory interrupted. "It's too gloomy around here. I miss her too much."

Lorelai smiled. "We can start looking today. I can pick up a paper and we can check for apartments or houses…"

"What about where you're from?"

"What?" Lorelai asked quickly, not sure if she had heard Rory correctly.

"Connecticut…" Rory clearly stated. "Why don't we go there?"

Lorelai, who was at a loss for words and an explanation, began to stammer. "Well, I …. You see…. Well, You…." Lorelai paused. "Why do you want to go there?" She finally asked.

"I've heard you talk about it a lot… it seems like a really wonderful place. Sometimes I'm convinced I can remember being there when I was a baby."

"Rory, I don't know… There's so much history there."

"Exactly…" Rory concluded. "So it makes sense that we should go back. I mean like you said, it's just for a while until we're ready to pick up here at Trix's again."

"Yeah, I said that, but I didn't think of moving out of the country, I thought of moving down the street…" Lorelai was becoming afraid of the thought of going back to Stars Hollow, back to Luke, back to Chris, back to Richard… it was all too much to think about.

"We moved out of the country once." Rory assertively replied. "It worked out great…."

"Sweetie…" Lorelai smiled. "Stars Hollow _is_ a wonderful, wonderful place... but I left all of that behind so many years ago."

"Please?" Rory asked, her blue eyes becoming bigger. "I want to see where you lived and where I was born."

Unable to resist any longer, Lorelai gave in. "Alright… if that's what will make you happy."

A large smile came across Rory's face.


	3. Maybe He'll Change

"Don't you worry about a thing, ma'am." Sondra replied. "I'll make sure that the Sawyers take excellent care and pride in this house."

"I know you will, Sondra." Lorelai smiled. "I don't think you're going to have much to worry about though." She continued. "We've known the Sawyers for years and they've always been wonderful people. My mind is at ease knowing they'll be renting off us. I'm just glad you decided to stay as well."

Sondra's face lit up at Lorelai's warm compliment. "Of course, ma'am. I've worked her for years and could never dream of leaving."

"Rory and I will be leaving tomorrow morning." Lorelai said as she closed her suitcase and sat it by the door. "We'll send for the majority of our things once we've settled into a house in Connecticut."

"I hope it's not too informal of me to ask you ma'am, but do you plan on living in the exact town you lived when you were younger?"

Lorelai sighed. "I'm not sure. Rory certainly wants to. If it was completely left up to her we'd stay in the same apartment I lived in as a teenager. I suppose we'll look for something in Stars Hollow, and if nothing is available we'll search for something in a nearby town."

"I'd like to stay in touch, ma'am." Sondra replied.

A light hearted chuckle escaped Lorelai's body. "We will. And for god's sake stop calling me ma'am."

(The next morning)

"Are you sure you have everything?" Lorelai asked. "Cause once we leave…"

"Mom, I'm sure." Rory repeated for the third time.

"Okay…" Lorelai started the car and then quickly turned it off again.

"What are you doing?" Rory asked.

Lorelai opened the car door. "I forgot my passport." Lorelai mumbled as she hurried back into the mansion.

Once back in the car Rory smiled, but made no comment about her mother's forgetfulness. "So, do you think we'll find an apartment or a house?" Rory asked.

"Well, in Stars Hollow there aren't too many apartments. Everyone there lives in townhouses." Lorelai replied as she pulled out of the drive way.

"A townhouse would be quaint, but I've always wondered what it would be like to live in an apartment."

"And I thought you spent all that time daydreaming about law school."

"Do you think your friends will remember you?"

"I'm sure they will." Lorelai smiled. "And I bet they'll remember you as well."

"That'll be strange. They'll know me, but I'll have no idea who any of them are. What about Grandpa?"

Lorelai quickly glanced over at Rory. "What about him?"

"Will we be seeing him often?"

Lorelai was silent for a moment. "I doubt it. He lives in Hartford, which is about thirty minutes away from Stars Hollow."

"He doesn't visit Stars Hollow?" Rory asked.

"I don't even think he knows it exists hun . Which that's probably in our favor."

"Maybe things will change once we move there. Maybe he'll want to spend time with us."

"Rory, sweetheart, I really don't think you should get your hopes up."

"I mean, he's never met me…how can you not like someone you've never met?"

"Rory…"

"I bet if I told him that I wanted to go to law school at Oxford he'd be impressed."

"Rory, stop." Lorelai's firm voice scolded. "Don't do this to yourself."

Rory's mouth shut tightly. "I'm sorry." She replied softly.

"Try to understand…" Lorelai gently spoke. "He's a very difficult man. He's selfish and conceited and can be very hurtful. I want you to understand that."

"I understand." Rory repeated.

A few moments of silence passed between them. Lorelai pulled into the airport parking lot. Within a few minutes they were standing inside the airport waiting for the departure of their plane. Rory had made sure she was silent and very choosey with her words, she didn't want to take the chance of upsetting her mother. Lorelai on the other hand was feeling guilty about scolding Rory. It was normal for Rory to have high hopes about living closer to her grandfather and under any other circumstances Lorelai would encourage the bond, but Lorelai could never forget the way Richard was. The pain that he had caused her was still scorching and Lorelai would do all that was in her power to keep that pain from being bestowed upon Rory.

"Well, flight 109 to Hartford, Connecticut. That's us." Lorelai noted.

"I'm a little nervous about flying." Rory admitted.

"Don't be." Lorelai simply reassured. "It's not as scary as a lot of people let on." Lorelai reached out her hand. "Come on."

Rory inhaled deeply and took her mother's hand. When they reached their seats on the plane, Rory quickly grabbed hold of Lorelai's hand again.

Lorelai laughed. "Sweetie, I promise it won't be so bad."

The seatbelt light flashed above them, and they both buckled in.

"What happens if I get sick?" Rory asked, her face starting to show a little paleness.

Lorelai turned and pointed to the extremely small bathroom located at the back of the plan. "Just pray it's not occupied…"


	4. Only So Much Can Stay Hidden

Rory gazed at the town sign. "Population 5, 832. That's small." She noted. "Compared to London anyway."

"It's small compared to many places." Lorelai added.

"It's strange… I'm an American, and yet I've only lived in America for such a small portion of my life." Rory smiled. "I don't feel American."

"Is that good or bad?" Lorelai asked, unsure of which one it was.

"Both…" Rory answered.

"Hmm." Lorelai replied shortly. "Well, my dear, I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are as American as apple pie and baseball."

"I hate apple pie… and baseball."

"Communist." Lorelai smirked.

They drove farther into town and Rory took in the scenery. "It's so ….cute. Charming, rather." She corrected. "Just like you said it would be."

Lorelai turned into a long driveway that lead to the Independence Inn. The girls would be staying there for a few days until Lorelai found an apartment or townhouse. Rory immediately took notice to the beautiful pond behind the inn. Two swans were gently floating by.

"How beautiful." Rory gasped.

Lorelai lead Rory inside of the Inn. They walked up to the front desk where a small man was standing.

"Hello, we'd like a room." Lorelai began.

The man's accent was overpowering "Do you have a reservation?"

Lorelai smiled, but remained formal. "No… um, we're only going to be here for a short while. So, anything that you have available will be fine."

The little man opened his book. "Well, room 8 is available, but only until Sunday."

"That gives us plenty of time." Lorelai replied.

"What is your name?"

"Lorelai Gilmore."

"Okay, Mrs. Gilmore…"

"Ms." Lorelai corrected. "I'm… I'm not married."

The man paused and stared at the woman. "I am sorry… _Ms_. Gilmore, please follow me."

After showing Lorelai and Rory to their room, the man introduced himself. "By the way, I am Michel. If you happen to need anything, please… do not bother me." And with that said, Michel turned and left the room.

A giggle burst out between the girls. "That has to be the worst French accent I have ever heard in my life." Rory laughed. "And I've heard very many bad accents."

"Let's unpack later… I'm starving." Lorelai suggested.

"Okay… I saw a diner coming into town. It stood out to me for some reason."

Lorelai's cheery disposition quickly vanished. "No… We're not eating there."

Unaware of the past that involved the diner, Rory blindly asked. "Why not… I mean I know it looks run down, but I'm sure…"

"Rory, pick somewhere else." Lorelai interrupted.

"Did something bad happen there?" Rory asked, picking up on her mother's ill feelings towards the diner.

"No. It's just not a proper place to eat. There's a Chinese restaurant on Maine St. How does that sound?"

"It sounds fine." Rory replied, though honestly she wasn't in the mood for Chinese. Not to mention she couldn't help but wonder what the real reason was about the diner.

After eating, the girls headed back to the Independence Inn. Rory had noticed that ever since the trip began Lorelai had acted strange. She realized that certain things she said or places she mentioned upset Lorelai. Rory wanted to avoid upsetting her mother, but when she had no idea of what to avoid it was becoming very difficult. Finally, later that night after they had unpacked and were laying in bed, Rory's courage was built up.

"What happened at the diner?" Rory's voice asked through the dark room.

Lorelai, who was near asleep rolled over to face her daughter. "Rory… it's late."

"What don't you want me to find out?"

Raising up in the bed Lorelai became more awake. "Sweetie, I'm not trying to keep anything from you. Right now is just not the time…"

"Mom, how can it not be the time? We're here… We're in the exact place that you lived when you were a child and where I was born. This _our_ past…"

"Rory, please… don't do this tonight."

"I want to know." Rory pressed. "What is it about the diner? Does it remind you of someone? My father?"

"No… no it doesn't remind me of your father." Lorelai admitted.

"Is my father here… in Stars Hollow?"

Lorelai shook her head. "I don't know, sweetie. You know that I haven't spoken to or seen him since you were a baby."

"You've never said much about him." Rory replied. "Just that it didn't work out between you two. I've wondered about him for a long time, but I figured there was no sense in asking about someone who lived so far away."

"There's not much to say about him. I know that sounds harsh and cruel, but the truth is not always a pretty sight." Lorelai wrapped her arms around her daughter. "We were both very young when I became pregnant. I found a way to grow up and accept what my future held, but your dad didn't."

"Didn't he wonder about me?" Rory asked. "Did he ever try to talk to me or see me?"

Lorelai's mind flashed back to the day in the park when she had agreed to meet Chris. She remembered how he had only asked to see Rory to try for another chance at getting back together with Lorelai. She regretfully remember the sight of him walking away, refusing to be a part of his daughter's life.

"Once…" Lorelai finally answered. "Many years ago, when we still lived here. But he decided not to stay…"

A few tears found their way into Rory's eyes. "Why?"

"Because he didn't know…" Lorelai answered, herself becoming emotional. "He didn't know what he was walking away from. He never knew you would be such a wonderful and beautiful person. It's his mistake… not yours. Sweetheart, please believe me when I say that when someone decides they don't want to be a part of your life, it's much better to accept it and keep it that way."

"And the diner?" Rory asked.

Lorelai sighed. "Not tonight Rory. Go to sleep." She gently kissed her daughter on the head.


	5. Help Wanted Love Needed

"What about this one?"

"Too small."

"I thought you wanted small?" Lorelai asked.

"I did, but not that small."

"Okay, well, this one?"

"No…"

Lorelai sighed. "Rory, we've been by every apartment available in Stars Hollow."

"What about the one where you lived?"

"I already told you, someone is staying there now. We'll just have to look at town houses."

Rory lowered her head. "Okay…. I saw a townhouse that I liked and it had a for sale sign in the yard."

Lorelai smiled. "Now, we're getting somewhere. Where did you see it?"

"It was across the street from the diner."

"Rory." Lorelai's firm voice replied.

"I can't help that it's across the street from the diner."

"There's a perfectly suitable townhouse on Maple Drive. I think you'll like it."

Rory thought for a moment. "But isn't that on the far side of town?"

"What's wrong with the far side of town?" Lorelai asked.

"Nothing." Rory replied in a lower voice.

(Luke's)

"Aw, come on, don't be so harsh." Luke laughed. "You wanted me to fire the nose picker…"

Sookie smiled. "But you didn't have to be so mean about it."

"He was getting _fired_…" Luke stressed. "How can you be nice about it?"

"I don't know… bake him a you're getting fired cake?"

"Alright, fine… from now on you can handle all the firing."

Sookie sighed. "It'd just be nice to find someone respectable and nice… someone who we could actually keep for a while. Let's face it Luke, we go through waiters and waitresses like vodka at an R. Kelly party."

"Someone will come along soon, don't worry. We've been in business for 12 years. We have nothing to worry about."

"Oh, it's not that. Good help is so hard to find and I miss… I mean… I just… never mind."

Luke walked over beside Sookie. He knew was on her mind. "Sook, you have to stop thinking about it."

Sookie let out a quick laugh. "I know… I'm being silly. I just can't imagine why. Why didn't she ever call or write? Why didn't she ever stay in contact like she said she would?"

Luke wrapped his arms around Sookie. "I don't know."

"I just miss her… and that baby… I can't help but wonder about them. And I know it must be hell for you."

"Nah…" Luke answered. "I'm over it. I've dealt with it." He added. "Besides, I'm happy just the way things are."

"I still feel funny about that too."

"Sookie, come on, don't do this to yourself. Lorelai is gone… out of the country gone and that's pretty far gone. She didn't want to be with me or she would have stayed… or called… or something. It's been 12 years and I don't think about it anymore. You know who I think about now."

"Yeah… I know." Sookie smiled.

"And don't forget it." Luke smiled in return as he gently kissed Sookie on the cheek. "Now come on, we have a diner to run."

(Independence Inn)

Lorelai and Rory were sitting in their room eating left over Chinese food. It had been very silent between the girls that evening. Lorelai was trying to avoid talking about anything and Rory was making it a point to not speak at all. Rory knew that if they engaged in conversation she'd directly ask the questions that Lorelai was not ready to answer. Silence, as horrible as it was, seemed to be the other solution.

Lorelai cleared her throat. "Do you like the house?"

"Yeah…" Rory looked up and smiled. "It's nice."

"Not too far on the far side of town?"

"I guess not." Rory answered.

"We can start moving in Sunday. So, I need to look for work tomorrow." Lorelai continued. "Just something small… something to keep me busy while you're at school."

"I saw a help wanted sign in…" Rory paused.

"In?" Lorelai waited.

"Umm… the market."

"The market? I didn't see one."

"The guy took it down while we were in there today…"

Lorelai smiled. "Well, I don't think I'd want to work at the market anyway. Taylor is much to hectic to work for."

"You've worked for him before?"

"Yeah… in the same market." Lorelai replied.

"Cool." Rory replied. "What else?"

"What else?" Lorelai asked.

"What else did you do when you were here?"

Lorelai thought for a moment. "Well, I used to go the park a lot. I'd take Anne there after school."

"Anna?"

"She was my dog."

"You had a dog?" Rory asked becoming very interested. "You never let me have dog."

"Correction, Trix never let you have a dog."

"Can I get one now?"

"We'll see." Lorelai replied. "No promises."

"What about school? Did you like school?"

Lorelai smirked. "Not very much, no. But an education is the most important thing a person can have. That's why I got my GED when I came to London."

"What about your friends? Are they still here? I bet you're excited about seeing them."

"Oh don't worry, they'll all pop up soon enough. News travel fast in small towns and Stars Hollow is no exception. By the end of the week, I'm sure everyone will know we're back. Be ready, I warn you, the town folk here are very overwhelming."


	6. The Girls Are Back In Town

Lorelai had taken off in search of a job and allowed Rory to spend the day becoming familiar with the town. She had made Rory promise she wouldn't go to the diner, and reluctantly Rory agreed. A few hours into the day, however, Rory couldn't stand it anymore and decided that just going into the diner couldn't hurt.

"Luke, stop." Sookie giggled. "I have to get the papers ready for the interview."

"You never go by those papers." Luke replied as he kissed Sookie again on the neck.

"Well, this time I'm going to."

Luke laughed. "Okay." Luke backed away.

Rory slowly walked into the diner and up the counter. She looked around at all the old things that were hanging on the walls. This place was amazing, nothing like she had ever seen in London.

"Can I help you?"

Rory turned around quickly to see a tall lumberjack looking man standing behind the counter.

"Uh…" Rory paused. "I was just looking."

"Just looking?" Luke asked.

"At your diner… it's really nice."

Luke smirked. "You think my diner is really nice?"

"Well, it's different. Not like anything I've ever seen before."

"I see." Luke replied. "Well, would you like something to eat?"

"Oh, I don't have any money with me. Thanks anyway though. I really just came in to look around."

"On the house." Luke quickly replied.

"What?" Rory asked.

"First meal is on the house…"

Sookie came out from the kitchen and stood beside Luke. "Oh, hi." Sookie greeted cheerfully.

"Hi." Rory repeated.

"James is here, I'll be conducting his interview for the next ten minutes or so." Sookie nodded over to the corner of the diner where a very nervous and pale boy sat ringing his hands.

Luke raised one of his eye brows. "I can already tell you he's a klutz."

"He still gets a chance." Sookie replied as she took off in his direction.

"We're looking to hire a waiter or waitress as the case may be." Luke explained to Rory. "It's hard to find someone that does a good job. You know, we don't ask them to work very often. Just of the evenings… sometimes on the weekends. I pay 6.00 an hour."

Rory smiled. "Are you offering me a job?"

"Maybe." Luke answered. "Would you be interested?"

"Maybe." Rory replied. "I'd have to ask …" Rory paused. For a moment she had forgotten where she was. Rory could never ask Lorelai if she could work at the diner. Rory wasn't even supposed to be here. "I can't." Rory finally finished. "I'm only 14 and I have school…"

"We could work around that."

"I'm sorry… I can't." Rory backed away from the diner. "It was nice meeting you." Rory turned and ran out of the diner.

Sookie slowly walked back to the counter. "What did you do to her?"

"I offered her a job." Luke responded.

"Oh." Sookie said completely understanding.

"And James?" Luke asked.

"Total klutz." Sookie shook her head. "He spilled a cup of coffee on me, then knocked over the salt shaker when he jumped across the table to grab the cup. I told him I'd give him a call if he got the job and he stepped on my foot on the way out."

(The inn)

Rory returned to the inn surprised to see Lorelai back early.

"Hey." Lorelai greeted cheerfully.

"Hey… did you find a job?" Rory asked.

"I did." Lorelai answered. "And you'll never guess where?"

"Where?"

"Here."

"Here?" Rory repeated. "As in the inn?"

"As in the inn." Lorelai clarified. "I mentioned looking for a job to the manger and she said she had a position available. We talked it over, and I got the job. You are now looking at the new Assistant Manager of the Independence Inn. I start Wednesday. Which gives us a couple of days to get situated at the townhouse. Everything has fallen together so nicely." Lorelai smiled.

"See, it's this town." Rory added. "It's like it's magical."

"You were right, sweetie. Moving back here has helped so much and made such a big difference. And guess what, I saw Miss Patty today."

"Miss Patty?"

"The dance instructor. Taylor had told her I was in the market yesterday with a beautiful young girl who he could only assume was my daughter."

Rory laughed. "So, the word's out that you're back in town?"

"No… the word's out that _we're _back in town." Lorelai corrected.

"Miss Patty has invited us over to her house this evening for diner. It'll be a great chance to catch up and for her to see you."

"Will anyone else be there?"

"Perhaps… maybe just a few people. Don't worry, they'll all love you. They all already love you."

"Sounds fun." Rory replied.


	7. Sealed Lips

The bell above the diner door rang and Miss Patty entered.

"Lucas!" she called in her seducing voice.

"Hey, Patty." Luke smiled. "Let me guess, you're here for your Saturday special."

"Actually, I'm having dinner at my house this evening." Patty replied.

Sookie walked out from the kitchen with a glass of water in her hand. "Hey Miss Patty."

"Hello, darling." Patty smiled. "I was just telling Luke that I'm having dinner this evening at my house."

"Oh…" Sookie smiled. "Well, that's nice."

"It most certainly is." Miss Patty's face glowed with excitement. "Guess who are going to be the guests of honor."

"Taylor…." Sookie guessed.

"Oh and Kirk." Luke added.

"Wrong." Patty declared. "Lorelai and Rory."

The glass in Sookie's hand fell to the floor and shattered. Luke nearly fell to his knees but caught himself with the counter.

"That's exactly the type of reaction I was expecting." Miss Patty smiled. "Now then, dinner is at seven. Dress will be casual, no flannel allowed however."

Luke cleared his throat. "Uh, uh… umm."

"Yes, Luke?" Miss Patty waited.

"I don't know if we'll….. be there." Luke finally replied.

Sookie slapped Luke on the arm. "Of course we'll be there!"

"Sookie…"

"Luke, it's Lorelai and Rory! We can't miss this!" Sookie's scolding tone overpowered Luke's decision.

A nervous smile flashed across Luke's face. "Right… You're right. Who… uh… who else will be there?" Luke directed to Miss Patty.

"Oh, well of course I have to invite Taylor." Miss Patty rolled her eyes. "Babbette and Maury will probably stop by and so far Kirk hasn't found out about it… I'd like to keep it that way. He's so tiring at social events."

"We won't tell." Sookie smiled. "Thank you so much for inviting us."

"No problem, sweetheart. Why, it would just be inhumane to have Lorelai and Rory to dinner and not invite you two. See you at seven."

After Miss Patty had left the diner Luke and Sookie hurried back to the kitchen.

"Sookie, are you nuts?" Luke asked.

"Of course not." Sookie answered.

"We cant go to that dinner."

"Why?"

"Because Lorelai will be there!"

Sookie folded her arms. "That's whole reason we should be there. Are you afraid of seeing her?"

"What! No… No.." Luke answered. "It's just… well, it's not exactly the best way to meet up after 12 years you know. Hey, how yah doing? I'm with Sookie now."

"Luke…" Sookie scoffed.

"Well, what about you? You were her best friend…"

"I know that." Sookie smiled. "That's why I want to go to the dinner. Look, if you're uncomfortable telling her that we're together, then we won't say anything about it tonight. We'll just go and act normal…"

Luke rubbed the back of his neck "Well okay, but that makes it seem like we're hiding our relationship."

"Well, we are." Sookie laughed. "Besides, it's not like Lorelai is here to stay. I'm sure she's only here for a few days."

"Yeah…" Luke smiled. "That's true. Alright, well I guess we'll have to close the diner early."

"I think for Lorelai and Rory that could be arranged." Sookie smiled. "Oh! I'm so excited to see them! Do you think Rory will remember us?"

"I don't know, Sook." Luke answered.

"Oh, gosh… what am I going to wear?" Sookie placed her hand to her forehead. "Do you care if run home and start getting ready? I mean you can close up by yourself…"

"Sure. No problem." Luke replied. "Go on and get ready."

"Thanks." Sookie smiled. "See you soon." She left the kitchen but then darted back in for only a second. "Oh and could you clean up this glass?"

Luke sighed heavily and leaned up against the kitchen counter. He pulled out his wallet from his back pocket and opened it. He removed an old picture of Lorelai and Rory. Luke smiled and remembered that this picture was taken on Rory's second birthday.

"Damn…" Luke whispered. "Why did you leave?"

It was question that had haunted Luke since the day he saw the plan take off from the airport. Maybe he could finally ask it… maybe he wouldn't have to… maybe Lorelai would forwardly explain her London departure all those years ago. One thing was for sure, for 12 years he had been planning what he would say to her if he ever go the chance to see her again, and now given the situation he was in, he'd never be able to say a word of it.


	8. Hit The Fan

"Rory! Lorelai! Come in!" Miss Patty swung open the door. Lorelai and Rory both smiled at the warm welcome and stepped inside. "Oh, Rory you are just such a vision! A perfect likeness of your mother."

"Thanks." Rory smiled.

"I hope you both like pot roast." Miss Patty guided the girls into the dinning area. Taylor, Babbette, and Maury were all sitting at the table.

"Oh, sugar you look wonderful!" Babbette rose from the table and hooked her arms around Lorelai. "It must be all that good London air."

"Honey, I'm sure the air is the same in London as it here." Maury replied. "Lorelai would look wonderful even if she inhaled toxic waste."

Rory smiled at all the strange yet charming compliments her and her mother had received in such a short time. She could tell why Lorelai had missed Stars Hollow is was full of such lively and quirky characters.

"Is there anything I can help with?" Rory asked.

Miss Patty smiled. "Such a polite girl. Sure, you can help me bring out the pot roast." Miss Patty and Rory walked into the kitchen.

"Well, Lorelai aren't you going to sit down?" Taylor asked.

Lorelai smiled. "Sure, Taylor. I just need to go to the restroom first."

"Oh, second door down the hall." Babbette pointed.

"Thanks." Lorelai exited the dinning area.

When the doorbell rang, Miss Patty stuck her head out of the kitchen door. "Babbette would you be a dear and get the door."

Babbette rose from the table and headed towards the door. She opened and Sookie's bright face appeared. Luke was standing by her side, but his face wasn't near as bright.

"Come on in, we're just about to eat." Babbette smiled.

"See, I told you we weren't late." Sookie glanced up at Luke.

Luke and Sookie stepped into the dinning area and each took a seat beside each other.

"Mmm … Something smells heavenly." Sookie inhaled.

"That's Miss Patty's pot roast." Taylor said.

"It's nice to have someone else cooking for a change." Sookie laughed. She glanced around the room. She was confused at why Lorelai or Rory weren't there. Perhaps they were late.

Lorelai opened the bathroom door and headed back down the hall. As she turned the corner to the dinning room she quickly turned back around in shock to see Luke sitting at Miss Patty's table. What on earth was he doing here? Miss Patty failed to mention he would be here, but then again it's Miss Patty. In her mind she's playing match maker. Realizing she couldn't hide out in the hall way all night, she took a deep breath and prepared herself for the encounter.

Luke's head turned and he spotted Lorelai coming around the corner. He was astounded to see she hadn't aged a day. She looked more beautiful than he could have ever imagined. As Lorelai stepped into the dinning room Sookie jumped from the table.

"Lorelai!"

"Sookie!" Lorelai replied as the two embraced. "It's so good to see you."

"Oh, it's so good to see you!" Sookie repeated in a very high voice. She continued to hold on to Lorelai for several seconds. "Where's Rory?" she finally asked as she broke away.

"In the kitchen helping Miss Patty." Lorelai smiled.

Sookie glanced back at Luke. He cleared his throat and stood to his feet. "Hi." He said shortly.

"Hey." Lorelai replied a soft tone.

"It's good to see you."

"You too." Lorelai could feel the awkwardness between them. This set up of Miss Patty's had to be just as much an inconvenience for Luke as it was for her.

The kitchen door opened and Miss Patty stepped out holding her pot roast boastfully on her platter. Rory followed out behind her with a large plate of dinner rolls.

"Alright, everybody… eat up!" Miss Patty set the pot roast on the table.

Taylor's mouth was watering as he made himself the first one to dig in. Luke and Sookie both exchanged a look of shock as they realized that this was the girl who had showed up at the diner only hours before.

Rory too had taken notice to the fact that she was now in the same room as the people from the diner. She quickly sat down beside her mother and prayed that they didn't mention seeing her there earlier today. Lorelai would be so angry if she found out Rory had went to diner against Lorelai's directions.

"So, Rory how old are you now?" Maury asked.

"14." Rory answered.

"That's such a good age." Miss Patty smiled as she took a sip of wine.

"You remember?" Taylor asked smirking.

"Unlike you, yes." Miss Patty countered.

"You'll be starting high school then." Babbette concluded. "Stars Hollow has a wonderful high school. Great teachers."

"The best." Taylor added.

Sookie nearly choked on her food. "You're sending Rory to high school here?"

"Well of course, Sookie." Miss Patty laughed. "Where else would Lorelai send her?"

Sookie looked back at Luke. They couldn't have been more blindsided coming into this dinner.

"Oh, Taylor said you bought the house over on Maple Drive." Maury began. "Beautiful piece of property."

"It's perfect for Rory and me." Lorelai glanced back at her daughter.

"Well, if you need any help moving things around, just let me know."

"And I'm great with decorating." Babbette added.

"We'll keep that in mind." Lorelai replied.

"When are you and Sookie going to buy a house together, Luke?" Taylor asked.

Lorelai quickly glanced over at Sookie and Luke. Miss Patty and Babbette both lowered their eyes. They knew that Lorelai finding out about Sookie and Luke from Taylor was definitely the wrong way.

"I mean you guys have been staying in that apartment for months now. People need room to breathe." Taylor took another bite of pot roast. "I'd be out of my wits by now."

Luke was unable to form any words. "We're fine." He finally replied.

"So, Lorelai how do you like the pot roast?" Miss Patty asked as she tried to sway the conversation.

Lorelai didn't reply. She hadn't even heard Miss Patty's question. She had drifted off into thought. Rory gently nudged her mother on the arm. Lorelai's eyes shot to Rory. "What?" she asked as if Rory had just interrupted her during a very important phone call, or a while she was right in the middle of her favorite movie.

"Miss Patty asked you a question." Rory whispered.

Lorelai turned to Miss Patty. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, dear." Miss Patty replied.

Lorelai looked down at her watch. "Wow, you know what we should really get going."

"What? You just got here." Babbette objected.

"I just remembered I have a thing at the inn that I need to be there for."

"The inn?" Babbette asked.

"She got a job there today." Miss Patty informed.

"Thank you so much for inviting us." Lorelai reached out her hand for Rory. "Come on, Rory."

Rory took one final glance around the table and stood up. She knew her mother didn't have anything to do at the inn. Ever since they had came back to Stars Hollow Lorelai had acted in the strangest manner.

Feeling responsible Sookie quickly went after Lorelai.

"Lorelai, wait!" Sookie called as she stopped Lorelai on Miss Patty's sidewalk. "Don't leave."

"Rory, get in the car." Lorelai instructed.

"But…"

"In the car." Lorelai repeated.

Rory sighed and did as she was told. Sookie wrung her hands several times. "Oh, Lorelai please don't be angry."

"I'm not."

"You are."

"No, I'm not." Lorelai stressed.

"I didn't mean for … I never…" Sookie babbled.

"How long?" Lorelai asked.

"How long?"

"How long have you two been together, Sookie?" Lorelai folded her arms.

"A few years." Sookie replied.

"A few? How many is a few? Two, three, _four_?"

"Six." Sookie finally answered.

Lorelai's mouth hung open. The last thing she ever expected to come back to was a Luke and Sookie relationship. "Are you married?"

"No." Sookie quickly answered. "Please don't think that I was just waiting for it to be over between you and him… I wanted you two together more than anything. I'm the one who told him to go after you at the airport."

"What?" Lorelai asked completely lost.

"But he didn't make it in time." Sookie continued. "Oh, Lorelai, he was devastated when you left. It took years for him to get over you."

"You mean six years." Lorelai bitterly replied.

"What were we supposed to do? You were gone. You left." Tears began to stream down Sookie's face. "You never called… you never wrote… you never came in to visit. Now all of a sudden you're back and apparently you're staying… what did you want us to do while you were gone? We couldn't just stop living."

"You're right, Sookie." Lorelai retorted. "You certainly couldn't just stop living. You and Luke have every right to a relationship."

"Lorelai, just don't be angry and don't hate me."

"I don't hate you, Sookie." Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I just… I don't know what I expected." Lorelai threw her arms to the side. "I'm sorry… I just need time to process all of this."

"Maybe we can get some coffee tomorrow and talk about all of this…"

Lorelai shook her head. "Sure... Coffee sounds great. I'll see you tomorrow."

Lorelai turned slowly and walked back to the car where Rory was sitting. She had heard most of the argument and was starting to piece together her mother's past.


	9. Jealous Much

"What are you so worried about?" Luke asked as he leaned across the doorway.

"I'm not worried." Sookie replied. She slipped on her necklace and turned to face Luke. "This is something Lorelai and I have to talk about… Alone."

"Oh, and Lorelai and I don't have plenty to talk about?" Luke asked offended.

"There's nothing you can tell Lorelai that I can't."

"Just say it, you don't want me to go."

Sookie sighed. "Fine, Luke, I don't want you to go."

"Fine…" Luke looked quickly around the room. "While you're having coffee with Lorelai, I'll go fishing."

"Fishing?" Sookie asked. "Luke, you can't go fishing…"

"You're just full of things that I can't do today, huh?" Luke shot back.

"Someone has to run the diner, Luke." Sookie was clearly becoming frustrated.

"No, Sookie, someone doesn't have to run the diner. That damn diner is open every day of the week. Well, you know what, _this _day I'm going fishing!"

"I'm not arguing anymore about this." Sookie grabbed her purse from the night stand. "I'm going to be late."

"Well, we wouldn't want that, would we?"

"Good bye, Luke. I'll see you tonight."

"Maybe… I might decide to fish all night too." Luke quickly replied.

"Good bye, Luke." Sookie repeated as she marched out of the bedroom.

(The Inn)

Sookie stood outside of Lorelai's room and knocked on the door. A few seconds later Rory opened the door.

"Hey, is your mom around?" Sookie smiled.

"She's getting ready." Rory replied. Rory checked over her shoulder to make sure Lorelai wasn't going to sneak up behind her. "Hey, could you not tell mom that I was at the diner yesterday?"

"Were you not supposed to be there?" Sookie asked.

"No." Rory answered. "If she found out, she'd be really mad."

"You're secret's safe with me." Sookie winked her eye.

"Thanks. I'll tell her you're here." Rory opened the door farther and Sookie stepped inside. Rory walked back to the bathroom. "Mom… Sookie is here."

"Okay. I'm ready." Lorelai took one last look in the mirror. She focused her attention to Rory. "I won't be gone long. Try to have everything packed up by the time I get back. We can start moving this evening."

"Have you scheduled to have our things shipped from London?"

"Not yet, that'll be done tomorrow. Companies are closed on Sundays." Lorelai gently kissed Rory on the head. "I'll be back soon."

"Bye." Rory replied. "Bye Sookie." She added.

"Bye" Sookie smiled.

Sookie and Lorelai walked out of the inn. "She's such a well behaved kid." Sookie noted.

"Are you kidding… she's a saint." Lorelai replied. "She's never been in any trouble at school or anywhere for that matter. I got really lucky."

"I don't think it's luck, Lorelai."

"So, where are you wanting to have coffee?"

"I was thinking we could try a new coffee shop that was put in a few weeks ago. It's called "The Coffee Café." I figured I wouldn't judge it by its name."

Lorelai shook her head. "That's very noble of you, Sookie."

Once at the café Lorelai and Sookie indulged in conversation. Sookie explained everything from the day Lorelai left to the day they found out she was back in town. Lorelai was amazed to hear about all the things she had been missing. She didn't tell Sookie, but after hearing how Luke came after her and Rory she couldn't help but regret the fact that she had gotten on the plane. Lorelai was so happy with Luke all those years ago, she never would have left if she thought Luke really wanted her to stay.

In return, Lorelai told Sookie about her and Rory's life in London. She did make it a point, however, to leave out the fact that Trix had left all of her estate to Rory. She didn't feel it was really anyone's business. Besides, Sookie and her were close, but not as close as they used to be. And with this conflict over Luke, it could take a while before she'd trust Sookie completely.

"I'm sorry about losing Trix." Sookie replied after hearing the story. "I couldn't imagine what it must feel like to keep losing people you care about so much."

"It's horrifying." Lorelai said blankly. "It's like you just wake up one day and someone you really care about is gone. You didn't know it was going to be their last day… you had no idea that they were even in danger of dying." Lorelai paused. "What terrifies me more than anything is the thought of losing Rory. I can handle anyone else, but if something ever happened to her…"

Sookie reached her hand across the tiny table and took Lorelai's. Lorelai stopped her sentence. She glanced down at her watch. Time had flown by since the two friends sat down for coffee. It was nearly 3:00 pm and Lorelai had expected to be home hours ago.

"Sookie, I have to get going."

A sad look crossed Sookie's face. "One more cup?... Please?"

Lorelai smirked. "Alright, but just one more."

"Besides, we haven't really talked about how you feel."

"About what?" Lorelai asked as she took a sip of her coffee.

"About Luke… about me and Luke." Sookie clarified.

"What's there to feel?" Lorelai asked. "You and Luke are together. You're happy, you're doing what you love. I'm happy for you two."

Sookie didn't believe Lorelai was being completely honest. "I know it must seem weird… I mean I still feel weird about it."

"Luke and I are over." Lorelai stated clearly. "It's been a very long time, Sookie."

"But now that you're back…."

"You're afraid I'm going to try to take him away from you?" Lorelai interrupted.

"No." Sookie replied her facial emotion swaying to shock. "No, that's not what I meant. It's just, I know things are going to feel strange… stranger than they already have."

"Sookie, if you're looking for reasons to split up with Luke, you can stop looking at me."

"Why would I want to split up with Luke?" Sookie offensively replied. "I'm trying to let you know that I understand how it must feel for you. I care about your feelings."

Lorelai scratched the back of her head. "All you've talked about is Luke, Luke, Luke, you make me stay for one more cup of coffee so we can talk about Luke. I don't want to keep talking about Luke, Sookie. You keep bringing him up cause you want to make sure that he's safe… that I don't still have feelings for him."

"That's not true."

"It is true."

"I love Luke!" Sookie screeched. "I have never loved a man the way I love Luke Danes."

"Does he love you back, Sookie?" Lorelai asked in an eerily calm voice.

"Of course he does…" Sookie replied.

Lorelai stood from the table. "Then you shouldn't be so worried."

"Do you still love him?" Sookie quickly asked before Lorelai could leave.

"No." Lorelai answered, not looking Sookie in the eyes.

"Then why were we the last ones to know you were back in town? Why did you never call… never write… never visit?"

"It _just seemed easier_." Lorelai stressed. "I couldn't deal with it all. I wouldn't even be here now if it wasn't for the fact that my grandmother died and this is where Rory wanted to be."

"And where do you want to be, Lorelai?"

"I want to be in my new townhouse with my daughter unpacking my things." Lorelai threw a few bills down on the table. "Bye, Sookie."


	10. Timing Is Everything

Sookie slammed the apartment door and threw her purse onto the couch. Luke suddenly appeared from the bedroom, still in his pajamas.

Sookie raised her eyebrow. "I thought you were going fishing?"

"I changed my mind." Luke replied looking down at his clothes. "Staying in bed and watching baseball seemed like a better idea. So, how'd everything go?"

"Horrible." Sookie sighed as she walked towards the bedroom and began to change clothes.

Luke followed closely behind. "What happened?"

"All I done was end up making her even more angry."

"What? How?"

"She thinks, that I think she's going to take you away from me. She thinks that I'm afraid that now that she's back you'll leave me for her." Luke was hesitant to reply, but Sookie didn't notice. "I told her that it's not true."

"What did she say?" Luke asked.

"About what?"

"About us, what did she say?" Luke impatiently asked.

Sookie slowly shook her head. "She said she was happy for us… that she's glad we have each other."

"Oh." Luke replied blankly. "Well, that's good. So, why is she mad?"

Sookie rubbed her eyes. "Because I asked her if she still loved you… like an idiot. I just got caught up in my emotions and blurted it out…."

Luke's mouth opened and didn't close for several seconds. "And she said?..."

"No." Sookie replied distantly. "She said no. And I guess I kind of accused her of lying. Damn it, I'm such an imbecile. I have one chance to make everything right with my best friend who I haven't seen in 12 years and instead, I screw it up!"

Luke put his hand on Sookie's shoulder. "You didn't screw it up, Sook."

"You didn't see her face, Luke. She's not the same… she's not the old Lorelai."

"Well, she's lived in London. She has a 14 year old daughter. A lot of things are different now."

"I think I'll take a bath." Sookie replied randomly. "Lay back down… watch your baseball games."

(The Inn)

"Rory.. are you all packed?" Lorelai asked as she opened the room door.

Rory was laying on the bed reading a novel. "I've been packed for an hour."

"Sorry…" Lorelai apologized. "It took a little longer than I expected."

"Did you work everything out?" Rory asked as she placed her novel down and focused her attention on her mother.

"Not hardly." Lorelai groaned. "I'm starting to wonder if it's worth the effort."

"I'm sure it'll get better." Rory optimistically replied. "You guys are best friends. You'll work it out."

"That's sweet, Rory, but it's not looking so good. I mean you don't know our history… our past feelings or our present."

"I'd know if you'd tell me." Rory replied

Lorelai glanced over at her daughter. She was in need of a friend now more than ever and though she had tried to keep her past a secret for the most part, she had to open up to someone eventually. Rory was getting older, perhaps she could start talking to her more on an adult level.

"Alright…" Lorelai said softly. "Let's get everything over to the townhouse and I'll tell you all about it."

"Really?" Rory asked, shocked that her mother would give in so easily.

"Really."

Later that evening, Rory and Lorelai sat on their air mattress in the empty townhouse eating Chinese food. Lorelai was impressed at how well Rory seemed to understand the situation. Rory was thankful that her mom trusted her enough to open up to her. They had definitely bonded a higher level that night.

"I think it's so romantic that he came after you at the airport." Rory replied as she stuffed an egg roll into her mouth.

"I didn't even know he came after me until last night." Lorelai said sadly.

"Maybe he still loves you, mom. It would explain why Sookie is so worried about it. She can probably tell he's not over you."

"Well, I can't just make that assumption. They've been together way longer than Luke and I ever were."

"That doesn't mean he stopped loving you. You should talk to him. See how he feels."

"Rory…"

"Come on, what's the worst that can happen? You and Sookie have already got into a fight."

"Fight is a strong word."

"Argument."

"Still strong."

"Spat."

"Spat?" Lorelai asked critically.

"Disagreement?"

Lorelai laughed. "God, why did I ever by that thesaurus? I had you this whole time."

"Are you going to talk to him?" Rory sat down her Chinese food and laid down across the air mattress.

"Maybe." Lorelai replied as she did the same. "If the time ever comes."

"It'll come." Rory yawned as she snuggled under the covers.


	11. Pack It Up

"220 Maple Drive." Lorelai repeated. "Yes… Connecticut." Lorelai tapped her fingers on the table. "Well, how long will that take?" A pause. "Two weeks! Isn't there some type of special faster delivery? Well, how much does that cost?" Lorelai let out a long sigh. "Okay, I'll pay the extra three hundred but my stuff better be here by next Monday." Lorelai hung up the phone.

Mia suddenly appeared beside Lorelai. "Getting your stuffed moved from London?"

"That's my attempt." Lorelai replied. "Such a difficult program. If only U-haul had ships."

Mia smiled. "Well, I'm sure it will all work out. I see you've already taken care of most of the bookwork this morning. Impressive for your first day of work."

"I took a couple of business classes in London." Lorelai said as she flipped through the papers. "Luckily, business is business no matter what country you're in. Thank you again for giving me a chance."

"Oh, think nothing of it. You're more than qualified for the position." Mia smiled.

"I am?" Lorelai asked. As far as Lorelai knew she wasn't qualified for management positions. Her business classes could easily win her a secretary position, but certainly not assistant manager.

"Of course. You're polite, ambitious, hardworking, caring, responsible, and charming. All the makings of an excellent assistant manager."

Lorelai let out a small laugh. "Thank you, Mia."

"You are welcome my dear. I was wondering, where did you send Rory off to today?"

"She went by Stars Hollow High. There are some teachers there preparing for classes next week and she decided to stop by and get acquainted. She'll be by here later after she's done."

"Good. I have a surprise for her."

"A surprise?" Lorelai asked. "What is it?"

"I can't tell you." Mia smirked.

"Why not? The surprise isn't for me." Lorelai leaned across the counter. "I won't tell her."

"Sorry, Lorelai."

"Aw, Mia, come on." Lorelai begged. "I promise… no, I swear I won't tell."

"I'll check back later for Rory." Mia continued. "Goodbye."

"Bye." Lorelai replied disappointingly.

(The diner)

Luke had been distant from Sookie all day. Sookie was trying to not take it to heart, she figured he was still upset over the Lorelai thing. Being upset over Lorelai though could only mean one of two things. Either he was upset that Lorelai was back and problems could develop for him and Sookie, or he was upset that Lorelai was back and he wanted to be with her but was already in a relationship with Sookie. Unable to bear it any longer, Sookie decided it was time to ask.

"Luke…"

"Hm?"

"What are you upset over?"

Luke glanced up at Sookie. "I'm not upset."

"Okay. So then what is it? You're disappointed? Aggravated? Angry? Sad?"

"No… I'm none of those." Luke replied. "Why would you ask that?"

"Because, I know it's one of them. I just don't know which one. Be honest with me, Luke. Please."

"Sookie, I am being honest. I'm fine."

"You're not fine…. You've barely spoken two words all day. You're keeping to yourself. You've been acting strange ever since you found out Lorelai is back… I want to know."

Luke pulled his cap down farther over his eyes. "Things are just going to be strange for a while, Sookie. You said that yourself."

"Why did you want to talk to her so badly?"

"Who?" Luke asked as he turned back around and lifted a large crate of cooking oil.

"Stop pretending you don't know what I'm talking about!" Sookie yelled much louder than she intended. She was beginning to see a much clearer picture now.

Luke immediately sat the crate down on the floor. He turned quickly and faced Sookie. "I have a right to know why she left." Luke replied coldly. "I wanted to talk to her, because I want to know what I did that was so wrong it was worth leaving the damn country over."

"Why should any of that matter?" Sookie asked. "You said you were over it!"

"I am over it! But I still want to know. Anyone would." Luke defended.

"I don't… I don't care why she left."

"Liar!" Luke retorted angrily. "You cried for months after she left. You asked me every day. 'Luke, why won't she call? Luke, why hasn't she written? Luke, do you ever think we'll see her again?'"

"You know what, Luke?" Sookie's bitter voice spoke. "I know why she left."

"Oh really?" Luke asked sarcastically. "And you've just been keeping it a secret for the past twelve years?"

"You could say that." Sookie replied.

"Fine, since you know so much, why don't you enlighten me? Why did Lorelai leave?"

Sookie paused unsure if she was actually willing to confess what she knew.

Luke huffed. "I see. Well, thanks for the sharing." He turned to leave the kitchen.

"Because she thought you didn't love her!" Sookie spat.

He turned back quickly. "Sookie that's ridiculous. You know that I asked Lorelai to marry me! She said no!"

"But you weren't willing to wait." Sookie stressed. "And in Lorelai's eyes if you truly and honestly loved her, you would have waited. You would have told her that you'd wait forever."

A look of confusion crossed Luke's face. "I went after her…."

"She didn't know." Sookie replied somberly.

"Sookie…"

"She loved you, Luke. She still loves you. I should have known from the beginning that truth would never go away." A few tears began to fill Sookie's eyes.

"Sookie…" Luke's voice became softer. He stepped towards her.

"And you still you love her." She pouted. "And now that she's back, it's killing you to be apart."

"No… Sookie, I love you." Luke replied. "I swear, I do."

"Not as much." Sookie added. "Not like you love her. I could never have that love." Sookie wiped at her eyes. "You've never thought about marriage with me. I wouldn't even be staying with you in your apartment if I hadn't of fallen behind on my own rent. I've known all along… I just never thought I'd have to face it."

Luke slowly came to the realization that Sookie was telling the truth. These were all the things that he was blocking from his mind, refusing to think about. He couldn't keep blocking them out, though. It wasn't fair to Sookie. It wasn't fair to Lorelai. It most certainly wasn't fair to himself.

"You're right." Luke's voice cracked. "I still love her." He lowered his head. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry." Sookie replied. "Be thankful. You're true love has returned. You've been giving a second chance." Sookie slowly backed away from Luke.

"Where are you going?" Luke asked becoming concerned with Sookie's action.

"To pack." Sookie replied.


	12. The Necklace

"Thanks for letting me stay here, Patty." Sookie said as she sat down her bags.

"No problem, sweetheart." Miss Patty sympathized. "I knew that Lorelai being back would cause problems for you and Luke but I was hoping for such a better outcome."

Sookie slumped into a chair "Oh, Patty, what was I thinking? I never should have became involved with Luke. This is all my fault." She buried her face in her hands. "Lorelai was my best friend and I betrayed her… even worse, when she finally comes back, I attack her without even being provoked."

Miss patty patted Sookie on the back. "There, there, now… don't blame yourself for this. Luke cares very much about you."

"But not as much." Sookie added. "I was a nice fill in, but I could never take the place of Lorelai."

Miss Patty slowly shook her head. "No one could take the place of Lorelai."

"She's incredible…" Sookie tacked on. "She's beautiful, smart, witty, funny… and the list could go on and on…" Sookie paused for a moment. "Oh, God… Am I jealous of Lorelai?" she asked.

"No, Sookie… Lorelai is your friend." Patty smiled. "Give the situation time… it'll work out. But, honey, I think you should be prepared for Lorelai and Luke to get back together."

"I am prepared." Sookie replied. "Who am I to stand in the way of true love?"

"You're true love is still out there." Miss Patty said as she sat down beside Sookie. "I know it may seem like a fairytale now, but there's a man out there who's just waiting to find you. And when you two find each other, watch out… the fireworks will be dazzling."

"Thanks, Patty." Sookie let a smile cross her face.

(The Inn)

"A whole week without our stuff?"

"And that's super fast special delivery." Lorelai added.

Rory sighed. "What am I going to do about school? I don't have any new clothes or supplies."

"Well, we can go the mall this weekend."

"There's a mall here?" Rory asked becoming intrigued.

"Oh, no not here." Lorelai corrected. "Hartford… about thirty minutes from here."

"Thirty minutes just to get to the mall?" Rory smiled. "That's so quaint."

"Not many teenagers would agree with you on that. I'm not even sure I agree with you on that."

Mia entered the lobby of the inn and spotted Rory. "Oh, you're here!" she replied excitedly.

"Hey, Mia." Rory greeted cheerfully.

"I'll be right back, you stay here." Mia instructed.

Rory looked back at Lorelai. "What's this about?"

"I don't know, she wouldn't tell me." Lorelai squinted her eyes narrowly. "She's good at keeping her surprises."

"Surprises?" Rory asked.

Mia returned to the lobby. "Rory, before I give you this gift, I want to tell you a story."

"Okay." Rory replied not sure where this was heading.

"When I was a little girl, I lived on a farm in Ohio. We worked very hard from daylight to dark just to make ends meet. When my father became ill, it was up to the children to take over and make sure the farm stayed up to par. Well, my two sisters were married within no time and both moved far away, and my three older brothers each took off own their own to start completely different lives. I was left alone on the farm with my mother and ill father. It seemed so difficult." Mia paused. "I couldn't believe my siblings could just abandon our farm and our parents so easily, but they did. I suppose they all had their reasons, however."

"Oh, Mia… I'm sorry." Rory honestly felt sympathy and remorse for the elder woman.

"Anyway, my father passed away and soon after my mother followed. I had always heard that a spouse tends to follow the death of their lover, especially if they were truly and deeply in love. That was always a comfort to me, to believe that my parents loved each other so." Mia reached into her pocket. "I too ended up leaving the farm after that. I decided to sell the farm and I moved her to Connecticut to start my brand new life, but even after all of these years I never forgot where I came from. You're a special girl, Rory. I could tell it from the moment you walked into my inn with your mother. I know that you were born in Hartford and stayed here for a short while after, then you moved to London. From what I understand it was your idea to come back to Stars Hollow… to come back to your roots. That's why I'm giving you this, cause I know that it will mean more to you than it would to anyone else. You'll treasure this gift very much. You'll find that it's very much a part of your roots." Mia removed her hand from her pocket and handed Rory a small box.

"Oh, Mia…" Rory was nearly speechless after hearing the endearing story.

"Go on… open it." Mia smiled.

Lorelai, who had been just as captivated as Rory during the story, watched eagerly as Rory opened the small box.

"Mia, it's beautiful." Rory said as her eyes sparkled. "I can't take this…"

"Of course you can." Mia replied. She took the box from Rory and removed the necklace. "This was a necklace my best friend gave me on my 16th birthday."

Lorelai felt obliged to interject. "Mia, that means too much to you. You shouldn't give it away."

Mia looked at Lorelai and smiled. "Rory understands, Lorelai. She'll take good care of my necklace, I'm sure. Turn around, I'll latch it for you." Mia instructed to Rory.

Rory slowly turned around and lifted the back of her hair up. The silver necklace with the radiant blue stone matched Rory's eyes perfectly.

"I knew it would look marvelous on you." Mia complimented.

"Thank you so much…" Rory said as she gazed down at the necklace.

"You're welcome, Rory." Mia smiled. "Well, I have some work to catch up on. I'll see you girls later."

Rory looked over at Lorelai. "What does she mean that it's a part of my roots? Why would she give me this?"

"I don't know, sweetheart." Lorelai honestly replied. "I guess you made quite the impression on her."

Lorelai picked up the empty box that was sitting on the table. She noticed there was an engraving inside of it.

"To my best friend, Mia . May God bless you throughout the days of your life. Love always Joan."


	13. Unlock Your Secrets

Rory removed the necklace. "I'm afraid to wear it… what if I lose it?"

"You could lose it just as easily off your neck as on it." Lorelai replied.

"That's true, but for now I think I'll just keep it in the box." Rory reached for the small golden box in Lorelai's hand.

Lorelai moved her hand out of Rory's reach. "Can I have the box?" Lorelai asked.

"What? Why?"

"It's a really nice box."

"Mom, that box goes with the necklace."

"Well, it's fair this way you get the necklace and I get the pretty box it came in."

Rory sighed. "Fine, keep the box. I'll use one of my other jewelry boxes when they get here from London."

"Thanks babe." Lorelai smiled. "I'll see you in a couple of hours."

"Bye."

Lorelai opened the box again and read the engraving. Could this be the same Joan as her mother? Lorelai left the desk in search of Mia.

"Mia." Lorelai called as she walked into the main office.

"Yes?" Mia replied, still gazing down at some papers.

"May I come in?"

"Of course, Lorelai." Mia now gave Lorelai her complete attention.

Lorelai slowly walked in with the box in her hands. "Uh, Mia… I know this is going to sound crazy, but…"

"You want to know about the engraving?" Mia interrupted.

"Yes…" Lorelai said her eyes focused directly on the older woman. "I do."

"I knew you'd make the connection." Mia smiled. "Sit down, Lorelai."

Lorelai slowly sank into a chair. "You knew my mother?" She asked.

"I did." Mia grinned. "She was such a wonderful person."

"How is that possible?" Lorelai replied. "My mother is from East Hartford. She was only sixteen when I was born."

"She never told you about her life before you were born…?" Mia asked.

Lorelai shook her head no.

"Your mother and I were best of friends for thirteen years. She lived on the farm next to us, and we had grown up together. When she turned fourteen, her father moved them to East Hartford. We wrote several letters to each other and planned many different visits, but the visits never worked out. Connecticut was just too far away. As time went by, Joan's family prospered while mine stayed poor back on the farm. On Joan's 15th birthday I sent her a card and a box of hard candy. It was the most I could afford. On my 16th birthday she sent me that beautiful necklace… I'll never forget how wonderful it felt to see it for the first time."

"My mother never said anything Ohio." Lorelai replied distantly, trying to process the new information.

Mia sighed and continued on with her story. "For her 16th birthday I had planned on sending her a necklace as well. I had saved up all of my money for six months and had just enough to buy her a pretty one I saw at a jewelry shop. I hadn't heard from Joan in a few weeks, which was odd, but I figured she had been busy. I remember it very vividly that day." Mia paused. "I came home and checked the mail, and I had a letter from her. She told me that she was pregnant and that her parents had not taken well to the news. She also said that they tried to force her to marry her boyfriend at the time, and they both refused. She said she wasn't sure what was going to happen, but she wasn't going to let anyone harm her baby."

Tears had formed in both Lorelai and Mia's eyes.

"I sent her my present, but it was returned a couple of weeks later. I'm guessing she never got it. I never heard from Joan again… A few years later, when my parents passed away I came to Connecticut in hopes of finding her. It took many years, but I finally discovered she had came to Stars hollow. By the time I made it here, however, I was too late. I heard about the accident and that you had left town with a child of your own. So, I decided to just make here my new home, and started a business of my own…"

"Why did she never tell me any of this?" Lorelai asked, as she wiped at her eyes.

"How much did she tell you?" Mia asked.

"Just that her parents didn't approve so she left…" Lorelai said softly. "I never thought to question it. I was just so… so happy to be with her after Emily died." Lorelai sobbed for a few seconds. She quickly looked up at Mia. "Mia, do you know who my father is?"

Mia nodded her head. "Joan sent a picture of them together with the last letter I received." Joan opened her desk drawer and pulled out the old envelop. She handed it to Lorelai.

Lorelai stared at the picture for a long period time. Silently, the tears fell onto the old photograph. She turned the photo over and read the names. "Joan Addison and Anthony Stevenson."

"My mother told me his name was Anthony…" Lorelai replied.

"He's a banker, in Hartford." Mia said. "I've talked with him once, when I was in search of your mother."

Lorelai swallowed heavily. "What did he say about me?" Lorelai asked.

"That he had never seen you." Mia said remorsefully.

"Did he ever try?" Lorelai asked her voice becoming heavy with emotions.

Mia shook her head. "No… he said not getting married and leaving the situation behind was the best thing he could have done."

Lorelai sniffled. "He's just like Christopher."

"Who?" Mia asked.

"Christopher… Rory's father." Lorelai clarified. "Oh, Mia… it's like there's a curse on our family."

"Lorelai, no…" Mia replied sternly. "Don't ever say such a thing. Your family is special… your heritage is very, very important. That's why I gave Rory the necklace. She wanted to come back to her roots and she deserves to know where she came from."

"I've not spoken much about Joan… or Emily and Richard. It's always been easier to just keep it simple for Rory." Lorelai cleared her throat.

"You're going to have to trust her now, Lorelai. Don't keep things from her any longer. She's all you have in this world. She is your true flesh and blood. She is your family. I know you're concerned about protecting her, but it's time that she knew."

Lorelai's crying had ceased. "You're right, Mia… I have a lot to explain to Rory. About everyone…"

"You can leave work early today, if you'd like." Mia suggested.

"Thank you… I think I will." Lorelai slowly stood from the chair. "Good bye, Mia. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome." Mia smiled.


	14. I still Love You

Rory sat in silence on the air mattress. She had no idea how little she actually knew about her mother and her past. Finally, Rory decided to speak up.

"It explains a lot…" She said. "About the way you act sometimes."

"I never meant to act strange, Rory." Lorelai replied.

"Now that I know all of this, I don't think you acted strange at all." Rory picked up the necklace that was laying by her on the floor. "You should have this…" she handed it to Lorelai.

"Oh, sweetheart, no…" Lorelai objected. "Mia wants you to have it."

"But it's something from your mother."

"And _your _grandmother." Lorelai added. "I have a few things of mom's. I want you to keep the necklace, Rory. Mia's right, you'll appreciate it more than anyone else."

Rory sat the necklace down on the floor again. "I used to worry that not knowing my father would make me … not as strong in some ways."

Lorelai cast Rory a strange look. What exactly did Rory mean by that?

Rory looked up at Lorelai and continued. "But after seeing how strong you are… and you never knew your real father either… I guess I was just trying to pity myself."

Lorelai reached out and took Rory's hand. "Hey, it's not self pity." Lorelai reassured. "You should have a father. Not having a dad around is tough… believe me. Richard and Emily loved me very much. I was lucky to have them, even if it was for a short while."

"Do you think Richard loves you?" Rory asked.

"I'm not sure…." Lorelai replied softly. "I used to think so. I used to think he was the most heroic and strongest and greatest man on earth."

"And now?"

"And now… I feel sorry for him." Lorelai quickly stopped herself from thinking anymore about the subject. "Well, I guess that's enough life revealing secrets for one day. How about we get some grub?"

Rory smiled. "I saw another restaurant today."

"You did?" Lorelai asked. "And what was it called?"

"Al's Pancake World." Rory replied. "But there were signs that had cheese burgers and hotdogs…"

Lorelai raised an eyebrow "Really? Well, we have to see what that's about. Come on… I'm starving."

The girls grabbed some cash from Lorelai's purse and headed out the door. As they reached Al's Pancake World, Luke stopped them just before they entered the door.

"Lorelai."

Lorelai turned around quickly. "Oh, hi."

"Hi…" Luke replied he gazed down at Rory. "Hi."

"Hi." Rory replied. Rory looked at Luke then to Lorelai. "I think I'll go inside and find a good table." Rory removed herself from her mother's side and left her standing outside with Luke.

"So…" Luke began. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I… Um… I'm sorry I didn't really get to talk to you, the other night… at Miss Patty's."

"Yeah… It was kind of weird." Lorelai replied. "But it's not a big deal."

Luke nodded his head. "We… We should talk. I mean… sometime…"

Lorelai let a nervous small streak across her face. "I don't know if that would be such a good idea. I'm already on Sookie's enemy list…"

"No, you're not." Luke immediately responded. "Sookie… she just… she…" Luke rubbed the back of his neck. "She's gone."

"What?"

"She left… this morning. She left." Luke clarified. "She umm… she didn't want to be with me anymore."

"Oh my God…" Lorelai replied. "Oh my God… it just keeps getting worse." She held her hand up to her head. "This is so messed up."

"Lorelai… Sookie left because …"

"Because she thinks that I still love you." Lorelai filled in. "I tried to tell her yesterday that it's not true, but she's convinced that I do… Luke, I never meant to cause problems. I have tried very hard to not cause a problem, and yet I've caused a problem."

Luke blinked several times. Did Lorelai just say she didn't still love him? God, he hoped she didn't really mean that. It didn't matter, he still had to say this. "Lorelai… you're not why she left."

"Of course I am." Lorelai replied blankly.

"No… you're not. She left because…" Luke paused. "Because I …"

"You?" Lorelai waited.

Luke closed his eyes. "I still love you." He slowly opened them. Lorelai was staring at him with a very confusing look on her face. "I've never stopped." He added. "I never wanted you to go to London." Luke's eyes were getting red and puffy. "I've missed you… and Rory. I've missed you so much."

Lorelai exhaled a large breath of air. "Luke… I… I can't talk about this right now. Not here."

Luke shook his head. "Okay… Sure." He quickly regained control of his emotions. "Can I call you sometime?"

Lorelai was hesitant to reply. "Yeah. Umm. My cell number is 690 0695. We don't have a phone yet at the town house."

"Oh… yeah. Hey, if you need my help moving in or anything..." Luke began.

"I'll let you know." Lorelai smiled.

"Alright." Luke turned to walk away but stopped. "She's beautiful, you know."

"Who?" Lorelai asked.

"Rory." Luke replied. "I can tell you've done a great job raising her."

"Thanks."

Luke held up his hand and waved. "Bye, Lorelai." He walked back across the street to his diner.


	15. At The Bottom Of The Box

After returning from the mall, Rory sat down all of her bags and turned to her mother.

"Mom, you can't keep avoiding Luke." Rory scolded.

"I'm not avoiding Luke."

"You are. Ever since he stopped you outside of Al's Pancake World two days ago you've made it a point to avoid going anywhere near his diner. It took twenty extra minutes to get home from the mall, because you took the north side into town… so you wouldn't go by Luke's."

"I'm not avoiding Luke or his diner… I'm just..." Lorelai sighed. "Okay, maybe I am a little."

"See." Rory replied in a higher pitch. "What's up? I thought you wanted to talk to him?"

"I did." Lorelai frowned. "But that was before I knew Sookie left."

"Maybe Sookie left so you and Luke could be together…"

"Wow, that's very admirable… leave the one man you love more than anything on earth so your old best friend from whom you haven't heard from or talked to in 12 years can just swoop back in and take him…" Lorelai exhaled deeply. "No, Rory it's wrong."

Rory thought for a moment. "Do you love Luke?"

Lorelai looked Rory directly in the eye. "I don't think I ever stopped. Even when I left here… I was heartbroken and convinced he wanted nothing else to do with me… I still loved him."

"Mom, why are you doing this to yourself? He's already admitted he still loves you and Sookie has obviously realized it…"

Lorelai shook her head. "It shouldn't be so easy… it shouldn't be so right. Why am I getting this wonderful, wonderful gift? I don't deserve it." Lorelai began to tear up. "I don't deserve to still be loved and I don't deserve to have him… Sookie deserves him. She's been here for him and loved him unconditionally. Why should I get they pay off to all of her hard work? I feel like such a rotten and low person. I was mad when I found out they were together but now that they're apart I feel even worse about it."

Rory leaned over and hugged her mother. She didn't have an answer for Lorelai's questions, but she knew that whatever was meant to be, would always find a way.

Sookie took a deep breath and opened the door to the diner. She slowly walked behind the counter, keeping a careful eye out of Luke. She gazed around the back kitchen, no Luke in sight.

"Sookie?"

"Ah!" Sookie gasped as she turned around quickly.

Luke stepped out of the storage room. "Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you." Luke replied.

"Uh, it's okay. I was looking for you actually… that's why I'm here… in this room." Sookie looked around nervously.

"I'm glad you're here." Luke smiled.

"You are?" Sookie asked, a small second of hope crossed Sookie's mind.

"Yeah, I've been wanting to talk to you about…" Luke licked his bottom lip quickly. "Do you still want to… work here?" he finally asked.

Sookie's bright expression quickly faded. "Oh… I … no." she ended. "That's why I came here. I was coming to quit."

Luke nodded his head. "Yeah, I figured you would."

"Yeah." Sookie faked a smile. "There's actually an inn that's hiring a chef just a little ways outside of town… I'm going to put my application in there."

"I'd be more than happy to give you a reference." Luke added.

"Sure… that'd be great. I could really use it." Sookie began to slowly sway back and forth.

"I'm glad to see that it's all working out well…"

"Yeah, I'm going to look at apartments this afternoon." Sookie paused. "Hopefully find something quaint and cozy."

Luke could tell Sookie was still upset. "I heard there's some apartment for rent on 3rd Ave." Luke replied.

"Really? Well, I'll have to look there… Thanks. So, I guess I'll see ya around."

"Yeah… see ya around." Luke repeated.

Sookie turned and left the diner. Luke watched her for several seconds as she walked down the street with her head hanging. He knew she wasn't as happy about the split up as she acted. He could tell she was heartbroken, but Luke had been heartbroken for 12 years. He felt he had a right to his own happiness. Besides, Sookie would find someone else. Someone who would love her… all of her.

Later that night, Luke had finally built up his courage to call Lorelai. He wanted to wait long enough to where he didn't appear desperate or clingy, but not too long so that Lorelai knew he truly cared.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Lorelai?"

"Yes." Lorelai answered

"It's Luke."

"Oh… Hi." Lorelai's tone quickly changed.

"I hope this is a good time to call."

Lorelai looked around at the empty townhouse. "Well, there's nothing else going on."

"Uh… Good." Luke paused. "So… how's everything?"

"Good." Lorelai answered shortly. "Everything's good. And you?"

"Oh, yeah… yeah, everything's good here too." Luke shook his head and closed his eyes. "Actually, Lorelai, everything's not so good."

"It's not?" Lorelai grabbed a jacket and walked outside on the porch.

"Look, I tried not to think too much about it but…"

"But?"

"Two days ago I told you that I still loved you and that was hard for me to do … I was scared to death to say those words. But what scared me more was that you didn't say it back… in fact you said you told Sookie you didn't love me anymore. I can understand if you don't. It's been so long and so much time has passed… but I have to know, Lorelai. It's killing me not knowing." Luke sat patiently as he awaited his answer.

Lorelai's heart was racing. For the first time in 12 years she felt her heart burst with love. "I've always loved you…" Lorelai's cracking voice replied over the phone as she tried to keep herself from tearing up. "But you and I are such completely different people now… and so much has happened."

Luke's heart bounced as he heard Lorelai's endearing words. All he had ever wanted, all he ever needed was to hear those words. "Well…" Luke began. "Let's get to know each other."

"What do you mean" Lorelai asked.

"Let's get to know each other… we're two different people, so let's get acquainted I want to know everything from the day you left to the day you returned. I want to know all about Rory… and London… and your grandmother that you stayed with. Leave out nothing."

"You're serious?"

"Of course I am." Luke said assertively. "You're the one for me, Lorelai. You're my match. I've known since I was a teenager… and I know it now. There wasn't a day go by that I didn't think about you… and when I saw you at Miss Patty's, I couldn't believe how incredible you looked and I fell in love with you all over again."

"It'll take time…" Lorelai said slowly beginning to agree with Luke's notion.

"We've got time." Luke answered. "We have plenty of time… I'll wait Lorelai." Luke was not going to make the same mistake twice. "I'll wait for you as long as it takes."


	16. In All Fairness Nothing Has To Be Fair

(The next morning)

"Aww! He said that?" Rory asked her face brightening.

"Every word." Lorelai grinned.

"That's the most romantic thing I've ever heard!"

"Well, honey, you're 14 how many romantic things have you heard?" Lorelai asked.

"Not many." Rory agreed. "But never the less that's by far the most romantic."

Lorelai let her mind wonder to what it would be like if Luke, her, and Rory were a family again. Living in one house. Would the connection still be there? Would it be like waking up to the perfect live everyday?

"Do you remember anything at all about Stars Hollow?" Lorelai asked. What she really wanted to know was if Rory remembered anything about Luke.

"Not really." Rory replied. "Something attracted me to the diner though." She replied. "I felt a strange connection with from the first time I saw it."

"That's kind of freaky." Lorelai smiled. "But a good freaky."

"Yes, definitely a good freaky…" Rory nodded. "I've never felt so comfortable in strange place before."

Lorelai wasn't sure if she had heard Rory correctly. "Strange place as in Stars Hollow or strange place as in Luke's diner?"

Rory quickly realized her mistake. "Um.." She paused. "Stars Hollow."

"Rory, you're a horrible liar." Lorelai replied.

"I know. I've been meaning to practice."

"When did you go to Luke's?"

Rory let out a deep breath. "Promise you won't be mad."

"No." Lorelai replied.

"Then I'm not telling."

"Rory." Lorelai demanded sternly.

"Saturday." Rory quickly spat.

"Saturday?" Lorelai asked shocked. "Oh my God… _Saturday?_"

"I couldn't help it… I just had to go in and see it."

"What happened?"

"Nothing…"

"Nothing… you walked into Luke's diner and nothing happened? No one said 'hi' or 'bye' or 'my heavens, you bare a striking resemblance to Audrey Hepburn.'"

"You think I look like Audrey Hepburn?" Rory asked intriguingly.

"On you're good days…" Lorelai replied. "Now, what happened at Luke's."

"Okay, he asked me if I wanted something to eat. I said no… he said it was free… I still said no… then he offered me a job." Rory sighed. "Oh, and I said no."

Lorelai's mouth stayed opened for several seconds. "He offered you _free _food… then he offered you a _job_?" Lorelai thought for a moment. "That's the strangest thing I have ever heard in my life."

"Imagine how I felt when they showed up at Miss Patty's?" Rory remarked.

"Yeah, I bet that was a tad bit awkward." Lorelai agreed. "I don't think Luke has ever offered anyone free food… ever. And I'm positive he never offered anyone free food followed by a job."

"He might of… there is a 12 year gap."

"No, there's no way. I know Luke better than that. Did he know it was you?"

"I don't think so." Rory honestly replied. "If you would have just told me everything to begin with I never would have ventured over to the diner."

"You said you had an attraction to the diner to begin with, so if you're attraction was as strong as you say then you still would have _ventured _over there."

"Not if you would have just told me… I'm starting to wonder just how much you are keeping from me. Is my real name Rory… am I really 14… am I even you're biological daughter?"

"No, you're real name is Beatrice… you're 56 and you own a bingo hall down the street." Lorelai rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter… you know everything now. And we agreed, from now on we tell each other everything."

"In all fairness I should get 14 years of secrets before I have to start being completely honest."

"In all fairness… I don't think so." Lorelai ended with a smile. Suddenly, Lorelai's cell phone rang. She reached in her pocket and pulled it out. "Hmmm. I don't recognize this number." Lorelai said as she decided to answer the call. "Hello?"

"Lorelai… It's Babbette… Oh, thank God I got the right number. There's been an accident!"

"What? What happened?" Lorelai asked frightened.

"Oh, I don't have all the details, all I know is there was a truck and Luke and he's in the hospital."

"Luke's in the hospital?!" Lorelai asked frantically. "Which hospital?!"

Rory's eyes bulged from her head as her heart sank to her stomach.

"Hartford…" Babbette managed to reply. "Oh, sugar I'm so sorry."

Lorelai quickly hung up the phone and grabbed her keys.

"Mom…" Rory called. "What's going on?"

"I don't know." Lorelai replied distantly as she continued towards the door. Only thinking of one thing and that was to get to Luke.

Rory grabbed her jacket and rushed to her mother's side. "I'm coming with you." Rory replied.


	17. Don't It Beat All

Lorelai rushed to the nurse desk at the hospital. Rory followed close behind. "Excuse me, I'm looking for Luke Danes." Lorelai said breathlessly.

The nurse checked her papers. "I'm sorry, there's no Luke Danes on my list."

"Check the list again." Lorelai replied.

"Ma'am…"

"Check it again!" Lorelai repeated in a higher tone.

The nurse quickly scanned through her papers. "No. There is no one here under the name of Luke Danes."

"Oh God…" Lorelai said nervously. "What if…" She couldn't bring herself to even say it.

"Mom, no." Rory answered, knowing what was going through her mother's mind. "Luke's probably fine. He's probably already checked out and on his way home."

Suddenly, a voice from down the hall called out towards Lorelai. "Lorelai?"

Lorelai turned around quickly and saw Luke walking towards her. Without even thinking she ran quickly towards him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Lorelai what are you doing here?" Luke asked, as he held her close.

Lorelai who was so relieved that Luke was okay, let out a large breath of air. "Oh thank God you're okay." She replied her voice muffled by Luke's shoulder.

"Of course I'm okay. Why are you here?" He pulled her away from him.

"Babbette called… she said there was a horrible accident and you were at the hospital. Babbette made it sound like…" Lorelai paused and took a good look at Luke. "You're not hurt."

Luke smiled. "No."

"Why did I get a phone call saying you were?"

Luke shrugged. "I guess the information got crossed."

"Well, could you uncross it for me… please." Lorelai replied becoming a bit annoyed.

"I was driving down Main Street and there was this guy selling vegetables by the road. I took my eyes off the road for one second just to change the radio station and when I looked up, I was nearly on top of the vegetable stand. I tried to dodge the stand, but it was too late. I crashed into a whole rack of tomatoes and cucumbers. I jumped out of my truck to check on the guy and he was buried under all the vegetables. He said he was fine, but I brought him to the hospital anyway. It didn't even hurt my truck… ruined his stand though. And well, you know how quickly news gets around Stars Hollow. I guess it just got kind of jumbled this time."

Rory, who had been watching the entire scene slowly walked up beside her mother. Lorelai reached over and put her arm around Rory. "Well, we're glad to see it's all a misunderstanding."

"Yeah, sorry about that…"

"It happens…" Lorelai paused. "Well, I guess we'll head back home. Seeing as how you're okay."

Luke's face dulled. "Oh… Well… sure."

"Okay… well, bye."

"Bye." Luke replied, feeling a bit of hostility between him and Lorelai.

Lorelai turned to leave, but Rory wouldn't move. "Mom, what are you doing?" she asked in a high whisper.

"Leaving." Lorelai replied. "Or at least trying to."

"Why?"

"Because… he's fine… the truck's fine… the veggie guy is fine… the poor stand is gone, but I've looked like an idiot for long enough now. We're leaving."

"You didn't look like an idiot."

Luke watched as the girls whispered back and forth between each other. Deciding to try to convince Lorelai to stay, he cleared his throat. "Hey… guess who the man at the vegetable stand was."

Lorelai glanced back at Luke. "Who?" She asked, not really concerned.

"Jackson." He walked closer to Lorelai and Rory.

"Jackson?"

"You know… that weird funny guy from high school."

"Kirk?" Lorelai asked.

"No… Jackson… Jackson… Crap, what was his last name? You used to hang out with him."

Suddenly, Lorelai's mind flashed back to the group of kids she sat with at lunch. "Oh… Oh… Umm… Damn it. What _was _his name?"

"Mellville?" Luke asked.

"Belleville!" Lorelai shouted in victory.

"Belleville!" Luke shouted as well. "That's it!"

"Wow… I haven't seen him in forever."

"Well, if you wait around for a few minutes, he should be out." Luke looked down at Rory. "Hi." He replied as if he had just noticed she was there.

"Hi." Rory repeated, humored by the outrageous u-turn that Luke and Lorelai's conversation had taken.

"Sure. I guess we could hang around for a few minutes." Lorelai said as she walked over and sat down in a nearby chair.

Luke walked over and sat down beside her. "You know what else I remembered about high school today?"

"How bad the food tasted?"

"That time you burned me out in the school yard." Luke smiled.

A large smile crossed Lorelai's face as well. "Yeah, I did have a way with words didn't I?"

"I totally deserved it." Luke added. "What was it you said… I'd need all my speed to out run…"

"Alimony and child support collectors." Lorelai finished in a laughing tone. "Oh, gosh that was harsh."

"It worked though." Luke replied. "After that, I never considered myself such a big shot. I always appreciated your honesty."

"I figured so…"

"You did?"

"Yeah…. I mean, when I saw you at Taylor's a couple of years later I could tell you had changed so much… Which I know that wasn't because of me."

"It had a lot to do with you Lorelai." Luke smiled. "More than you might think." He slowly put his hand on hers. "You never give yourself enough credit…"

Rory watched in amazement at the incredible bond between the two. She could feel the love bursting out from all around them. There was no doubt in her mind this was the man her mother should be with.

Not used to showing affection towards men in the presence of her daughter, Lorelai quickly removed her hand. She stood from the chair as she saw a man walking towards Luke and her. Luke stood as well.

"So, everything checked out okay?" Luke asked.

"Right as rain." Jackson replied.

Lorelai was shocked to see that Jackson looked exactly the same as he did in high school. Luke cleared his throat.

"Jackson, this is…"

Before he could finish a loud gasp escaped from Jackson. "Lorelai Gilmore!"

"Hey, Jackson." Lorelai smiled.

"Wow!" Jackson was memorized by how attractive Lorelai was and how young she had stayed. "You look freaking …" Jackson quickly hushed as he saw a young girl walk up beside Lorelai. "Uh… Happy." Jackson added.

"So, I guess I should run you back to your stand. What's left of it anyway." Luke noted.

"Yeah, we'd better get going too." Lorelai replied. "It was good seeing you again, Jackson."

"You too." Jackson replied not looking Lorelai in the eye.

"I'll call you later?…" Luke hesitated to ask.

Lorelai nodded. "Okay." She ended with a smile.

As Rory and Lorelai pulled out from the hospital parking lot, Rory couldn't resist it any longer. "Oh my God, it's just so cute!" she burst.

"What is?" Lorelai asked.

"You… Him… All of it! You're soul mates!" Rory's eyes lit up.

Lorelai laughed. "I don't know about that."

"Mom, come on… he's the one for you. See, coming back to Stars Hollow has been the best idea we ever had."

"Rory, try not to get too excited."

"Why not?" Rory asked. "Everything is going perfect."

"Because, I don't want you to get your hopes up…"

"With Stars Hollow?"

"With Luke." Lorelai clarified. "I don't know what my future holds with Luke, and I don't want to feel like there's an obligation for me to make it work with him."

"But…" Rory paused. "But, you love Luke. Luke loves you. With time, I'll love Luke and I already love you." Rory cast a cheesy smile.

"Sweetie, please, just stop thinking about it, okay."

"Why?" Rory asked, becoming aggravated. "What's so wrong with wanting to have a family?"

"Rory you have a family." Lorelai replied a bit hurt from the comment.

"A traditional family… a mother a father and kid… maybe a dog or cat… preferably a cat, dogs tend to be too hyper and chew a lot."

"Traditional is highly overrated." Lorelai remarked.

"Well, maybe I'd like overrated… maybe you'd like overrated if you'd give it a try."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "Maybe someone needs to let mom worry about what to do with overrated."

"Oh yeah? Well, has mom ever thought about overrated's feelings?"

"Is that really someone's business?." Lorelai snipped.

Rory sighed. "You shouldn't hide behind words."

"I'm not hiding behind words." Lorelai quickly replied. "You're the one referring to ppl as "overrated" and "someone". I have nothing to hide, anyway."

"Oh, yes you do."

"Really?"

"Yes, Really." Rory shot back.

"What do I have to hide?" Lorelai asked.

"Your feelings for Luke." Rory answered. "Why you feel the need to hide, I'm not sure yet."

Lorelai quickly became upset at Rory's wise judgment. Rory was no longer a child that could have her opinions and perceptions easily persuaded. "Just, stop…" Lorelai's voice was cold. "Stop."

"Fine. I'll stop." Rory said as she crossed her arms and began to stare out the window.

"Damn know it all." Lorelai muttered under her breath.

"What?" Rory asked as she jerked her head back towards Lorelai.

"Don't it beat all…" Lorelai replied. "Seeing Jackson after all these years."

Rory rolled her eyes and focused her attention back to the window.


	18. Off With Her Head!

After several minutes of laughter, Lorelai and Luke's phone conversation fell silent. Luke saw this as his chance to move the conversation into a more serious zone.

"So, I was thinking maybe we could all go out this Friday." Luke Paused. "I know Rory's first week of high school will be starting Monday and it'll kind of be her last chance to enjoy a Summer Friday."

"That's the best excuse you came up with for going out this Friday?" Lorelai asked amused.

"Would you rather I tell you the real reason I want to go out this Friday?" Luke returned.

"Yes… I've _always _appreciated your honesty."

Luke laughed. "Alright, the real and honest reason I want to go out this Friday is because there's nothing I would enjoy more than taking you and Rory out to a movie and then dinner perhaps followed by ice cream."

"That's the real reason?"

"That and my other two dates canceled so it freed up a lot of time."

"Well, when you put it that way." Lorelai smiled. "Pick us up at 6:00?"

"I'll be there at 6:30." Luke replied.

A small gasp escaped from Lorelai. "Oh… man has finally caught on to woman's code."

"You should come by the diner in the morning… have a cup of coffee before work."

"You know what, I think I may just do that."

"See you in the morning then."

"Bye." Lorelai hung up the phone. "Rory!"

"What?!"

"Could you come in here please?"

Rory sat down her novel and walked into the living room. "Yes?" Rory asked.

"You'll be quite pleased to know that we've been invited out to a movie and dinner this Friday with a chance of ice cream, if we're good girls." Lorelai smiled.

"Really?" Rory's face lit up. "Wait… Luke invited both of us?"

"Yeah."

"Why?" Rory asked almost laughing.

"Why not?" Lorelai returned.

"Because, last time I checked a couple was only two people."

"Rory, Luke and I aren't a couple." Lorelai paused. "Besides, I think it's sweet that he would ask both of us."

"Well, so do I but…. I don't want to intervene." Rory replied awkwardly.

"There's nothing there for you intervene with." Lorelai patted the empty space on the air mattress next to her. "Sit." She instructed. Rory did as she was told. "I know that you have very high expectations of what you think will happen between Luke and I, but you have to understand that nothing is written in stone. Luke and I cared a lot about each other, but that was a long time ago. Things are different. We're different."

"But there's so much there." Rory said with certainty. "Anyone can see it."

Lorelai sighed. "Let's just take it slow… There's no point in rushing into anything. We've only been here a few days. It's kind of like that song…" Lorelai began. "Whatever will be, will be, the future's not ours to see… Que sera sera."

Rory giggled. "That song is _so_ cheesy."

"You're cheesy." Lorelai remarked.

"Not as cheesy as that song. I can't believe you even know the lyrics to that."

"Ugh!" Lorelai replied defensively. "I knew one part… one part! And it was to prove my point about our futures… I think I added it in nicely. I should get extra credit… no wait, I should get a cookie. Rory where is my cookie?"

"You don't get a cookie." Rory giggled again. "You get cheese!"

Lorelai grabbed a pillow and playfully hit Rory across the head. "And that's what you get!" she said proudly. "Teach you to be witty."

Rory grabbed another pillow and raised her eye brows in an evil manner.

"You wouldn't." Lorelai dared.

"You don't think?" Rory asked teasingly.

"You better not." Lorelai said forcefully.

"Or what?"

"Or, I will be forced to unleash 30 years of pillowing fighting skills on you. You don't want that kiddo. Ask anyone who ever came to my slumber parties. I am the pillow fighting Queen."

"Oh yeah?" Rory asked. "Well, I haven't heard of queen yet who didn't eventually lose her thrown."

Lorelai's mouth gaped open. "Alright… I see where this is going." Lorelai grabbed her pillow again and slowly stood to her feet. Rory stood as well. Lorelai was a good four inches taller than Rory but that didn't intimidate Rory at all.

"Go ahead. I'll give you first shot." Rory offered.

"Oh no. I'm not falling for that trick." Lorelai replied. "You go first."

"Scared already huh?" Rory laughed. "Can't say I blame you… It is scary being old."

"Oh that's it!" Lorelai barked. "Eat pillow!"

Quickly the girls were engaged in a very honorable pillow fight. Lorelai had gotten in several good hits, but Rory was putting up a great fight. Laughter broke out between the girls as they stopped, both trying to catch their breath.

"I…" inhale "Beat you." Lorelai said breathlessly.

"No way." Rory quickly gasped. "I beat you."

"Ha!" Lorelai huffed. "You so did not."

"Fine… tie breaker?" Rory asked.

"Oh, yeah." Lorelai replied as she swung her pillow towards Rory's head.

Rory ducked quickly and dodged the swing, but she lost her balance and fell backwards onto the floor. All Lorelai heard was a loud thud as her daughter laid on the floor for several seconds.

Lorelai looked down at Rory. "Oh God, sweetie are you okay?" Lorelai threw down her pillow and fell to her knees. As Lorelai came closer to Rory, she was unexpectedly smacked in the face with Rory's pillow. Stunned by her daughter's cunning actions, Lorelai inhaed deeply, "You used motherly concern against me! Cheater!"

Rory laughed. "You may bow down to your new queen."

"Never." Lorelai said bitterly. "Off with her head!"

Rory quickly got to her feet and took off in a burst of speed as Lorelai chased after her. Just another normal night at the Gilmore's.


	19. Bringing Sparkle Back

After their night out, Luke walked the girls back to their new townhouse. They stood out on the porch for several seconds and then Rory decided to head indoors, leaving Lorelai and Luke standing on the porch together.

"I had a great time tonight." Luke smiled.

"Yeah, so did I… and I'm sure Rory did too. Thanks for taking us out."

"It was my pleasure." Luke replied.

"I'd invite you in…" Lorelai began "but there's nothing in there but some take out food, an air mattress, and dirty laundry."

"I bet you can't wait for you stuff to arrive from London."

"Yeah, we've really been pioneering it this last week. We can make it a couple more days though I'm sure." Lorelai paused. "So…"

"So… I'll make an extra strong pot of coffee in the morning at the diner."

"That'd be great. Thanks."

"No problem." Luke smiled. "And when you're stuff comes in from London, I mean hey, don't even hesitate to ask me for help."

"You'll be the first we call." Lorelai assured.

"Great. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night."

Luke turned to leave but quickly turned back. "Hey, Lorelai…"

"Hm?"

"Would you be interested in dinner again tomorrow night?" Luke asked.

"Well…. Um, sure. It'll save me and Rory from eating the take out food in the fridge, which I'm pretty sure has spoiled."

Luke rubbed the back of his neck. "How about we order Rory some fresh take out…"

"Oh…" Lorelai's eyes widened. "Oh… you mean just you and I go out to eat … Oh." Lorelai's face went blank. "Well, I… yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes." Lorelai repeated.

"Okay then." Luke took one final look at Lorelai. "Good night." He slowly turned and walked towards his old Chevy truck.

Lorelai could feel her face turning red as she opened the door to the town house and walked inside. Rory suddenly appeared out of no where.

"Geeze!" Lorelai shrieked as she grabbed her chest. "You're lurking skills have improved drastically."

"Sorry, didn't mean to frighten you." Rory replied. "So, what'd he say?" Rory tried to keep herself from acting too excited.

"We're you spying on me?" Lorelai asked before replying.

"No… but you two were obviously talking about something."

"Well, it could have been about the weather or sports or… how bad that movie sucked tonight."

Rory gleamed. "Did he ask you out again?"

Lorelai finally broke down. "Yeah… for tomorrow evening."

"Aw, mom that's so sweet. Please tell me you said yes."

"I did." Lorelai replied. "I have to admit, he was really charming tonight. I had a good time."

"I kind of thought you did."

"Oh really? And why is that?"

"Your eyes." Rory stated. "They've not sparkled like that in a long time. It was nice to see you get your sparkle back."

"Aw." Lorelai smiled. "You really believe it's meant for me and Luke, don't you?" Rory shook her head yes. "Well, I'll tell you a secret, but you have to promise you can't tell anyone else."

"I promise."

"I mean even if the president asks you to tell, you have to swallow the suicide pill."

"Mom, I promise." Rory repeated. "What's the secret?"

"I really want it to be meant for me and Luke." She said softly.

Rory smiled and pushed her hair back behind her ear. "So, I'm enforcing a strict curfew for tomorrow night, young lady. I want you home by midnight."

"Meh, we'll see." Lorelai played along. She glanced down at her watch. "Hey, looks like it's someone's bedtime right now."

"Yeah, this bedtime thing…" Rory began. "Not too many 14 year olds still have one."

"Oh, well, I must not have gotten the memo." Lorelai guided her daughter towards the bathroom.

"Well, maybe they do still have one, it's just boosted up a little… I mean a 10:00 bedtime is kind of harsh."

"Sweetie, you know it's to help you stay on track for school." Lorelai handed Rory her pajamas.

"Well, since I am getting ready to start high school, it kind of seems practical that my bedtime would get an extra boost. I mean I'll be dating soon and then you'll have to give me a curfew, and well if my bedtime is 10:00 that would make my curfew like 9:00 and that's just completely unheard of." Rory continued on with her banter.

"We'll check into it. For now, just abide to the bedtime." Lorelai closed the bathroom door.

(The next morning)

Lorelai's morning had been going exceptionally well, and she was looking forward to seeing Luke and indulging in her special pot of coffee made just for her. She walked into the diner, and noticed it was empty. Luke suddenly appeared from the back room.

"Wow, business is really slow today." Lorelai noted as she sat down at the counter.

"Business isn't slow. I ran everyone off." Luke replied.

Lorelai looked shocked. "I never thought you'd actually go through with it. Threaten, of course, but actually kick everyone out, this is really gonna boost you're bad boy image."

"Lorelai, I'm leaving." Luke bluntly replied. "I ran everyone off because I have to close down the diner for a while."

"What?" Lorelai asked at a complete loss for why Luke would be leaving.

"My sister… she was in an accident." Luke hung his head.

"Oh, Luke I'm so sorry." Lorelai said sympathetically. "Is she okay?"

"No." Luke muttered. "No… I have to go to California for a while. Take care of some arrangements and make sure Jess is okay."

"Jess?"

"Liz's son. My nephew."

"Oh… oh…" Lorelai tried to not appear too disappointed. "When do you think you'll be back?"

"I'm not sure… It could be a about a month or so. Maybe more." He paused and looked at Lorelai he could see the pain in her eyes. The last thing he ever wanted to do was leave her. He had already lost her once, and he never wanted to lose her again. "Lorelai, I'm so sorry."

"Oh, Luke, no I'm sorry. I mean losing your sister and having to abruptly leave for California and close down your diner, I mean I can't imagine how hard this must be on you."

"Not as hard as having to leave you." Luke replied. He stepped closer to her. "Come with me."

"Luke…" she began to object.

"It'll just be for a few weeks I'm sure."

"Luke, I can't… I have to work at the inn… and Rory has school and our stuff is coming in from London." Lorelai's eyes batted back and forth quickly. "I'll be right here when you get back." She whispered. "I'm not going anywhere."

Luke leaned across the counter and kissed her passionately. "I love you, Lorelai Gilmore. I'll call you as soon as I get to California." He pulled a bag out from behind the counter and tossed it over his shoulder. "Tell Rory goodbye for me."


	20. November Nights

"So, he left?" Rory asked.

"He had to sweetie… His family needed him."

"When did he leave?"

"Yesterday." Lorelai answered.

"Well, when's he coming back?"

"I'm not sure… He's not sure… It won't be too long." Lorelai could tell Rory was upset. "Rory, don't worry…"

Rory shook her head. "Things were just getting good… I mean, really good and what if…" She paused. "Never mind."

"What?" Lorelai inquired.

"It's just… what if he comes back with his nephew?"

"I think that's the plan." Lorelai replied. "But, he's really close your age… You may be a few months older than him."

"That doesn't make things better." Rory argued. "It's going to change everything."

"Rory, change happens… it's just a part of life."

"Aren't you worried?"

"No." Lorelai smiled. "I'm not. I think Luke needs us to be supportive. To be here for him and help him. He's lost his sister…. And we know how it feels to lose someone special to us, right?"

"Yeah." Rory replied softly. "I guess I didn't look at that way."

Lorelai glanced at the clock. "Well, you'd better get some sleep. You have a big day tomorrow."

"High school." Rory nodded. "I've thought a lot about what it would be like, but I never imagined I'd be going to an American high school. Do you think anyone will treat me different?"

"No…" Lorelai replied. "You don't have a British accent, thank God we kept that out of your system, so unless you tell them they'll have no idea you ever lived in London. Besides, this is your home town."

"Right." Rory smiled.

"Now, get some sleep." Lorelai leaned down and kissed Rory gently on the cheek.

A couple of months passed. Lorelai and Rory's stuff had arrived and long since but organized into their new home. Luke had called about once a week, and the conversations were always short and interrupted. He still wasn't sure when he'd be coming back to Stars Hollow. Jess was against the idea of leaving California and hell bent on giving Luke a hard time. Lorelai, though she missed Luke very much, was starting to wonder if perhaps there would still be a spark between them when he finally returned. She had been asked out several times by several different guys, but had politely turned down each invitation.

Finally, on an evening in early November Lorelai spotted Luke's old green chuck sitting by the diner. She rushed inside and found Luke carrying bags up the stairs. When Luke heard the door open, he stopped and gazed down.

"Lorelai!" he dropped the bags and ran to her. "Oh, God it's good to see you!" He wrapped his arms around the beautiful woman.

Lorelai wasn't sure how to react. When the embrace was over she asked. "Why didn't you call more?"

"I tried…" Luke replied. "Seems like when I finally got everything settled down for the day it was 1 and 2 in the morning. During the day, I knew you'd be at work and I had no idea what the number at the inn was. I told you in our last conversation I wish we could talk more."

"You could have asked me for the inn's number."

"Yeah, but I didn't want to bug you at work." Luke glanced Lorelai over. "God, it's so good to see you."

"Yeah, you said that." Lorelai remarked.

"Hold on…" Luke held up his hand. He walked over to the stairs. "Jess! Get down here!"

"Oh, Luke, I …." Lorelai began to object.

"No, come on, I want you to meet Jess, I've told him all about you."

A young dark haired boy slowly stepped down from the stairs. At first glance, Lorelai labeled the kid as trouble Jess looked like the typical bad boy with his leather jacket and his cold stare. He had the "I don't give a crap" attitude nailed.

"Jess, this is Lorelai. Lorelai this is my nephew, Jess."

"Hi." Lorelai greeted.

"Hey." Jess nodded.

"Welcome to Stars Hollow."

"Whatever." Jess replied in a monotone voice.

Luke cleared his throat. "Lorelai has a daughter… remember I told you her name was Rory. She's about your age."

"Yeah. I remember." Jess answered.

"I'm sure, if you'd ask, Rory would be more than happy to introduce you to a few people at school, show you around..." Luke smiled.

"I'll pass." Jess turned to walk back up the stairs.

"Nice meeting you, Jess." Lorelai replied sarcastically. Once Jess had closed the door to the apartment, Lorelai glanced back at Luke. "He's just a ball of sunshine, huh?"

"He's still dealing with Liz's death." Luke replied. "He's got some problems… but hey, that's why he's here. We'll get them worked out."

"Well, good luck with that."

Luke could tell Lorelai was being distant. "So, do you want to pick up where we left off? How about dinner tomorrow? I could use some new company."

"Actually, I'm kind of tied up tomorrow with some stuff at the inn." Lorelai lied through her teeth, but at the moment that didn't matter.

"Oh… well, maybe another night this week?"

"Yeah, we'll see." Lorelai flashed a smile. "Well, I'd better get going, Rory is expecting me back… Bye."

"Bye." Luke repeated.


	21. Just Jump In

"I really appreciate this, Mia." Luke smiled.

"Anything for you, Lucas." Mia replied. "Plus, I happen to think you're just what Lorelai needs in her life."

"Really?" Luke asked.

"Yes. If you've ever noticed, Lorelai's life has been filled with women who have loved her and watched out for her, and she does the same for Rory, but the absence of a man is quite noticeable. What Lorelai needs, is the love of a good man and role a model for her daughter."

"I'd love to be that person." Luke said sincerely. "But that's her decision, you know how strong willed and independent she is…"

"I do." Mia chuckled. "Good luck, Lucas."

"Thanks." Luke took a deep breath and walked over to the information desk. Lorelai was buried in her work, filing papers and sorting through the guestbook, she hadn't even noticed Luke was standing in front of her. "Hey."

Lorelai was immediately startled. She gazed up and saw Luke. "Oh, hey… I didn't even see you."

"Yeah, you looked pretty caught up in your work…"

Lorelai gazed down at the messy desk. "There's a party next week… a lot of guests and a lot of picky directions and specifications… and of course we're still sticking by that whole "the customer is always right" thing."

"Looks like you need a break…" Luke sat a picnic basket on top of the desk. "Hungry?"

Lorelai looked awkwardly at the large basket. "Is that a picnic basket?"

"Yep."

"Why did you bring a picnic basket to the inn?"

"So we could go on a picnic." Luke smiled. "I know it's a little chilly outside." He held up a thermos full of coffee in his other hand. "So I brought fresh hot coffee as well…"

"Luke, I can't… I have so much to …"

"I already talked to Mia about it, and she's more than happy to give you the rest of the afternoon off."

Lorelai smiled. "Alright… I guess I could use some coffee."

Lorelai and Luke walked outside of the inn. "I fixed up a nice spot by the lake." Luke said while they were walking. "Blanket and everything… whole nine yards."

Lorelai laughed. "I don't even remember the last time I went on a picnic."

"Well, it's a beautiful day. Jess headed off to his first day of school. So I figured hey, why not close up the diner a little early today and go see Lorelai. Besides, I feel like the other night was kind of… well… you seemed…"

"Yeah." Lorelai replied looking down on the ground. "I'm sorry about that."

"It's okay. You're right, I should have called more."

"I shouldn't have acted that way." Lorelai began. "I guess... I'm so used to the bottom falling out that I assumed all these stupid things about our relationship and… I don't want to get hurt and I don't Rory to get hurt and god knows she has her expectations sky high and now there's your nephew and we've been apart for two months and…."

Luke stopped and faced Lorelai halting her jumbled explanation. "Lorelai, I love you with all of my heart."

"I know you do." Lorelai looked him in the eye. "It just always feels like our timing is wrong."

Luke gently kissed her. He pulled away. "Sometimes you just have to take a dive… forget about timing and appropriateness… just jump in head first. Let everything just kind of work itself out. _Don't_ look before you leap, so to speak."

Lorelai leaned forward and returned the kiss with one of her own. "And how often do you leap without looking?"

"Not often enough." Luke honestly replied. "I've spent my whole life trying to be careful and prepared, and it's not gotten me anywhere. Sometimes I just want to go with what I feel and worry about problems later. Just put faith in that everything will work out and I'll find a way to deal. I kind of had to do that with Jess when I brought him back to Stars Hollow. I'm not sure how I'm going to do it, but I'm going to help him."

"He's lucky to have you." Lorelai started walking again, Luke followed.

"Over there's the spot." Luke pointed.

"You're right… it's a nice spot." Lorelai smiled. "Perfect view of the pond…"

"In a few more weeks, I bet the pond freezes." Luke began. "Maybe we could talk Mia into letting us use it for ice skating."

Lorelai laughed. "You know how to ice skate?"

"Sure, I do." Luke boasted.

"You do not!" Lorelai's laughed increased.

"I played little league hockey for six years." Luke replied.

Lorelai was shocked. "I never knew that about you… wow."

Luke smiled. "Yeah, see… not as boring as you think I am."

"I don't think you're boring." Lorelai countered.

"Good." Luke nodded. "I don't think you're boring either."

"Well of course not." Lorelai said a bit teasingly. "How could _I _ever be considered boring?"

They sat down on the blanket Luke had laid out for them. Luke began to pour two cups of coffee while Lorelai dug through the basket.

"Oh!" She exclaimed as she pulled out a large pumpkin pie. "I love pumpkin pie!" She reached inside again and pulled out a plate full of fried chicken and dinner rolls. Lorelai glanced back at Luke. "I haven't had fried chicken in years… Why would you bring this?"

"I remember one time you said, the best meal you had ever eaten was outside with your mom when you were a kid. Joan fixed fried chicken and dinner rolls and you ate it in your back yard."

"I didn't know why eating fried chicken outside made it taste better but…" Lorelai added.

"The cool crisp air must have added some flavor." They both said in unison.

Lorelai smiled. "I can't believe you remembered that. I mean it was just a random, meaningless, small detail."

Luke gazed at her. "Or it was one of your favorite memories of you and your mom."

Lorelai lowered her eyes. "Yeah… it was. Thanks for remembering, Luke."

"Thanks for telling me." Luke handed her a cup of coffee. "You know… I think there's still something left in that basket." He added.

"There is?" Lorelai asked optimistically as she grabbed the basket and stuck her hand inside. She pulled out a small black box. She held the box in her hand for several moments.

"Well…" Luke said softly. "Go on. Open it."

Lorelai gently opened the box to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. She placed her hand to her mouth and gasped lightly. "Oh… God." She said slowly. Her mind raced back to the night with Christopher in his car all those years ago, when had given her a promise ring. She looked back up at Luke. "Luke, I …."

Luke took Lorelai by the hand. "Don't look Lorelai… Just jump in." he replied.


	22. Breaking News

Every inch of Lorelai's body told her to think about this, but her heart, which always belonged to Luke, told her to go ahead and jump. Luke waited anxiously for her answer. She smiled and gazed into Luke's eyes.

"Okay, Luke Danes…" She paused and smiled even larger. "I'll jump."

A burst of happiness streaked across Luke's face. "You'll jump?"

"Head first." Lorelai replied.

He quickly pulled her into an embrace and held her close. "I love you so much, Lorelai."

"I love you too." She said softly as Luke's embrace warmed her from the cool autumn air.

(The town house)

"I'm not sure how Jess is going to respond to this." Luke replied.

"Well, I know that Rory will be more than excited." Lorelai added.

"Have they even met?" Luke asked.

"I don't think so." Lorelai answered. "Oh, God… Luke, we didn't even consider them. We didn't even think about what it will be like for them… they'll have to live together. Rory has never shared a house with anyone that close to her age, especially a boy."

"They'll be okay." Luke assured. "Jess keeps to himself a lot. He's a very private person. I'm sure, you and Rory will barely even know he's around."

Lorelai's mouth opened. "But what if the exact opposite happens?"

"Exact opposite?" Luke asked, not following.

"You know." Lorelai replied. "Instead of not liking each other, what if they _do _like each other."

"What's wrong with liking each other?"

"I mean really, really like each other." Lorelai corrected.

Suddenly Luke understood. "Oh." He said blankly. "Well, no… I mean, no… No."

"No?"

"No, that'll never happen. I mean, that would just be too weird."

"Two teenagers… opposite sex…. in a house together and you expect no feelings to arise between them?"

"They'll be more like family. They'll never think of that." Luke said firmly. "If you want, I'll have a talk with Jess…"

"No… No… Let's just not even put the idea of that out there." Lorelai replied. "Besides, if they do… you know, decide they like each other, then we can't really stop them anyway so lets just… leave it alone."

"Okay… Good idea." Luke agreed. He took a deep breath. "Well, good luck."

"Same to you." Lorelai replied as she opened her door. "If you need my help…"

"I'll call." Luke smiled.

"Okay."

He leaned in gently and kissed her. "Good bye." He turned and walked out of the townhouse.

Lorelai closed the door behind him and looked at the clock. It was almost time for Rory to get home, and then she'd break the news that her and Luke were getting married. Lorelai sat patiently on the couch preparing what she would say to Rory. She wasn't very nervous, she knew Rory would approve of Luke. Jess on the other hand may bring up some different feelings. Also, she was starting to ask herself how others would view their sudden decision to get married. Then again, Luke and Lorelai have loved each other for such a long time, that it really wasn't a hasty decision, just perhaps a wrongly timed one. Nevertheless, she had said yes and she planned to stick to it. She'd never lose him again like last time.

The front door opened and Rory walked inside. "Hey, you're home early." Rory noted.

"Yeah…" Lorelai simply answered. "I have news." Lorelai got straight to the point.

"Good news, I hope." Rory replied as she took off her jacket and sat down her backpack.

"So do I." Lorelai said.

"What do you mean?" Rory took a seat on the couch beside her mother.

"Something happened today." Lorelai began. "Something… big. Life changing, even."

"We won the lottery?" Rory asked, in a playful tone.

"Well, not quite. We kind of one a diner man and a nephew."

Rory laughed. "What?"

"Luke asked me to marry him today."

Rory's eyes nearly bulged out of her head. "You're kidding!? Oh, Mom, that's so great!"

Okay, this was close to the reaction Lorelai was expecting and hoping for. So, so far so good. "You're okay with it?" Lorelai asked making sure.

"Of course, I'm okay with it… Did you say yes?"

"I did." Lorelai answered.

"This is so romantic. How did he ask you?" Rory gave her mother her complete attention.

"He took me on a picnic today at the inn. He brought fried chicken and pumpkin pie… and then he hid the ring inside the picnic basket and asked me to jump with him…"

Rory's heart warmed. "I knew he was the one." She replied.

"You do realize…" Lorelai began. "That there's Jess now."

Rory actually hadn't thought about Jess, but now that he had been brought up, it did somewhat tarnish her feelings. She'd never let Lorelai know that though, she wanted her mother to be one hundred percent happy.

"Yeah, of course." Rory smiled. "I didn't expect Luke to just, you know, kick him out."

"I know you haven't even met each other and I'm sure it'll be a big change…"

"Mom, don't worry about it. It'll be nice having someone else around. Someone I can hang with and talk to while you and Luke are enjoying your marriage."

Lorelai smirked. "What exactly do you mean enjoying your marriage?"

"You know what I mean." Rory grinned.

(Luke's apartment)

"So it's not enough that you drag me out here from California, but now you have to move into a house with girls."

"Lorelai and Rory are special people, Jess. If you'd just give them a chance…"

"I don't even want to live with you, what makes you think I want to live with them?"

Luke sighed. "I love, Lorelai. I love, Rory. We're getting married, we're going to be a family and you're going to be a part of that family."

"I don't have to be a part of anything." Jess remarked.

"It's not negotiable, Jess." Luke sternly spoke. "You'll just have to find a way to deal with this."

"You're pathetic." Jess said coldly.

"I'm pathetic?" Luke pointed to himself. "You're the one who got detention their first day of school. You couldn't even make it through your first day without getting into trouble."

"Big deal." Jess shrugged. "I couldn't care less about school."

"That's fine. You don't want to be a good student. No problem. You can work as a mechanic or grave digger for all I care. But you _will _respect Lorelai and you will be nice to Rory."

"Look, if you have some weird Cleaver family image in your head…"

"Jess…" Luke held up his hand. "All I ask, is for you to be nice."


	23. 121

Lorelai and Luke were mapping out plans for the townhouse, while Jess unpacked the truck. Rory was studying at the library and promised to be home soon in order to help with all the work that lay ahead.

"Okay, let's go over this one more time." Luke began. "You and I will share your room. Rory will have her own room down stairs and Jess can stay in the basement."

"You make it sound like basement is a bad thing." Lorelai noted.

"No… No." Luke quickly objected. "Once we get it fixed up, he'll love it. It'll be like his own apartment."

"I'm sorry my townhouse isn't any larger."

"Hey, you're talking to the guy that lives in the apartment over his diner." Luke smiled.

Suddenly, a question crossed Lorelai's mind. "So what ever happened to the old house?" she asked.

Luke's smile faded. "I had to sell it a few years ago. I needed the money."

"Oh. Luke, I'm sorry."

"It's alright… That place was too big just for me anyway. Besides, a really nice couple live there now with their kids and they've really fixed the place up, so it's good to see it looking lively again."

"How much do you owe on your townhouse?" Luke randomly asked. He figured he'd start helping with the payments now that they'd be married.

"Nothing." Lorelai replied shortly.

"Nothing?" Luke repeated. "How can you owe nothing, you just bought this place like three months ago."

"I paid cash."

"Cash?" Luke's amazement was clearly noticeable. "This has to be a hundred thousand dollar townhouse…"

"A hundred and seventeen thousand." Lorelai added. "If you want to get technical about it."

Luke's eyes batted back and forth quickly. "How?" he finally asked.

Lorelai inhaled deeply. She knew that eventually she'd have to tell Luke about all the money that had been left behind to her and Rory. "Luke, you probably already knew this, but Trix was a very well off woman."

"I'd heard a couple of stories after you left." Luke replied. "Just small things, like she had a fancy home in London."

"Fancy is a bit of an understatement." Lorelai said softly. "She left a large amount of money behind in her will. Apparently, Rory and I were the only ones she cared to see prosper after her death."

"How much did she leave you?" Luke asked, hoping he wasn't prying too much."

Jess was carrying in the last box from the truck and was walking towards the kitchen to grab something to drink, but stopped as he heard the couple talking.

"Just a couple of million." Lorelai replied.

Luke nearly choked. "_Just?" _

"Most of it was left to Rory. All of Trix's estate and fortune will be hers when she turns 21."

"I can't even imagine how much money that is…" Luke replied distantly.

"The lawyer said it came out to around 121 million. That's including the property the house, and everything inside the house from antiques to curtains."

Luke placed his hand to his face in disbelief. "Holy crap." He mumbled. "Does she know about this?"

"No." Lorelai paused. "I want to keep it from for a while. Until I feel like she's ready to know. Right now she's happy right here in Stars Hollow. I don't want to burden with it."

"Burden?" Luke half laughed. "I'm sure finding out you have a 121 million dollars waiting for you isn't a burden."

"You don't know Rory that well. She'd be tearing herself apart wondering why Trix would leave it all to her, and then she'd be trying to think of what to do with all of it and what Trix would want her to do. It's just too much for now. I want her to stay carefree as long as possible, the world makes you grow up too fast as it is."

Jess couldn't believe his ears. His uncle Luke had married a millionaire. Furthermore, Rory would be absolutely loaded in a few years, maybe it wouldn't be so hard to be nice after all.

Jess made a loud noise from outside the kitchen to let Luke and Lorelai know he was coming in.

"Hey." He announced as he came into the kitchen and walked straight for the fridge.

"Did you unload all the boxes?" Luke asked.

"Yeah…" Jess replied as he grabbed a water. "I'm going on break, now." He opened the back door and walked outside.

Jess took a seat on the porch steps and opened his water. He noticed a young girl walking towards the house. This must be the infamous Rory he had heard so much about. As the girl came closer, Jess found himself admiring her looks.

"Hi." Rory greeted. "Are you Jess?"

"Maybe." Jess replied. "Are you Rory?"

"Maybe." Rory teased as she sat down beside him. "How do you like Stars Hollow?"

"It's pretty boring." Jess answered as he took a drink of water.

"I guess it can't compare to California, huh?"

"Not really." He paused. "Bet it doesn't compare to London either."

Rory nodded. "London was definitely different. But I love Stars Hollow. There's just something storybookish about it."

"Oh, so you're into fairy tales, huh?" Jess smirked.

"Not really." Rory answered. "It's just a comforting place to live. You feel safe…"

"I guess so." Jess shrugged.

"So… I've not seen you around school. You're a freshman, right?"

"Yeah." Jess replied. "I … I don't like school." He added. "If you want the truth, I usually skip. If I am there, I've got detention."

"School isn't that bad." Rory said as she gazed down at her books. "I mean, if you want to go to college and stuff."

"I don't."

"Then what will you do when get older? How will you make money and provide for a family?"

Jess stood from the porch. "Who knows." He replied. "Apparently, ditch digging is in fashion."

"Actually, I think that went out of fashion a few decades ago." Rory stood to her feet as well. "You could always work fast food though."

Jess caught himself smiling. He liked that Rory wasn't afraid to say what was on her mind. "Or, maybe I'll just live off friends and family the rest of my life and be a bum. Bumming never goes out with the decades."

Rory nodded. "Well, glad to see you have your future all planned out." She turned and walked inside.

(The inn)

"Well, you're definitely, qualified." Mia replied. "And all your references are good…"

Sookie smiled brightly. "So…"

"So, you're hired."

"Oh, thank you." Sookie spat with relief. She needed this job more than ever since she was trying to live on her own again.

"Can you start Monday morning?" Mia asked.

"Bright and early." Sookie replied.

"Good. Welcome to the Independence Inn."


	24. Like A Disease

Lorelai was busy going over the guest list for the wedding, when she spotted Mia walking towards the front desk.

"Mia!" she called.

Mia walked over to Lorelai. "Yes, dear?"

"I know you've probably already heard, but Luke and I are getting married."

"I did hear." Mia smiled. "Congratulations… I think you two are just perfect for each other."

Lorelai gleamed. "Thank you, Mia. Luke and I were wondering if we could have the wedding here at the inn."

"I'd be offended if you didn't have your wedding here." Mia replied. "When is the date?"

"Well, we decided on the first weekend of December."

"That's very soon." Mia noted. "Thanksgiving will be next week."

"We'd like to be settled in by Christmas." Lorelai replied. "I've already checked the books, the inn is free during that weekend."

Mia smiled. "Does that give you enough time to prepare everything?"

"Oh yeah. It's just going to be a small wedding. Nothing major…"

"Luke's not one for fanciness."

"It's not that. He'd do whatever I wanted." Lorelai replied. "We just want to make it simple."

"I understand. Well, I have to get into the kitchen. I've hired a new chef and I want to make sure everything is going well."

"Oh, a new chef?" Lorelai asked. "What happened to Rea?"

"He quit." Mia sighed. "He said he found a better offer at a restaurant in Hartford. So, I told him to go on. We'd manage just fine without him."

"Aw, I liked Rea." Lorelai replied.

"Well, I'm sure you'll like our new chef. She's very perky."

"I'll stop in see her during my break." Lorelai said.

(Stars Hollow High)

"Hey, Rory." Lane greeted.

"Hey, Lane. I was wondering where you were."

"Sorry, I had to stay late after class and talk with Mr. Simon. I'm behind in history and he's threatening to call my mom."

"Ouch." Rory sympathized as she sat down her lunch tray. She had only made one friend since she had came to Stars Hollow and that was Lane. It didn't matter though, Rory didn't need a lot of friends to be happy, and she'd rather have one true friend than dozens of acquaintances.

"So, are you excited about your mom's wedding?" Lane asked as she sat down across from Rory.

"I am." Rory replied. "You know you're invited, right?"

"Oh yeah. I wouldn't miss it for anything."

Rory gazed behind Lane, and noticed that Jess was sitting by himself at a table reading.

"Well, that's shocking." Rory stated.

"What is?" Lane turned around to look.

"He reads." Rory replied.

Lane continued to look around. "Who?"

"Him." Rory pointed. "Jess."

"That's Jess?" Lane asked. "He looks… rough."

"Hardly." Rory snickered. "He thinks he's a rebel… a regular James Dean. He says he hates school and doesn't want to go to college."

"Wow… could he be anymore opposite from you?" Lane asked. "Good luck trying to live in the same house with that."

"It won't be so bad." Rory replied. "They're making him stay in the basement."

"Like an ogre?" Lane laughed.

Rory laughed as well. "He's about as hateful and grumpy as one."

Jess turned around when her heard the loud laughing and snickering coming from behind him. He saw Rory and her friend staring at him. They quickly looked away and stopped laughing when they realized he had heard them. Deciding to play along, Jess closed his book and walked over to the girls' table.

"Hey, Rory…" Jess said in a eerily chipper voice. "Who's your friend?" he looked over at Lane.

"This is Lane." Rory introduced. "Lane, this Jess. Luke's nephew."

"Hi, Jess." Lane smiled.

"Hi." Jess repeated. "You two mind if I sit with you?"

Rory and Lane both exchanged glances.

"Uh… sure." Rory replied.

"Thanks." Jess sat down beside Lane. "I think we have history together." Jess noted.

"We do?" Lane asked. "I've never seen you in my class."

"That's because I'm never there." Jess paused. "What was his name… Simon?"

"Yep. That's him."

"Yeah, he seemed like a real bore. Didn't seem like sitting in his class for an hour would make my day any better."

"He is pretty boring." Lane agreed. "He tries to be really intimidating. He threatened to call my mom if I didn't start doing better in his class."

"Did you tell him to go to hell?"

Lane laughed. "No… I didn't."

"Want me to tell him for you?" Jess asked with a smirk.

Rory suddenly noticed she was being completely ignored. This was the most she had heard Jess talk since they first met. Why would Lane even acknowledge him with conversation? Especially when he had such stupid things to say.

"I'm serious… I'd tell him." Jess continued.

"I wonder how many shades of red and blue he would turn before he ran down to the principal's office." Lane asked.

"I'll count and let you know."

Lane laughed again. "Okay, you do that."

Rory cleared her throat. "Well, I have some studying to do before class." Rory stood up from the table and walked off.

"What's her problem?" Jess asked.

"I don't know." Lane replied baffled. "I guess I'd better go."

Jess nodded. "Alright. See you around."

"See ya." Lane replied quickly as she took off after Rory. "Hey!" she yelled down the hallway. "Rory!" Rory looked back over her shoulder, but kept walking. Finally, Lane reached her side. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Just didn't want to interfere with the moment." Rory replied.

"What moment?" Lane asked.

Rory stopped abruptly and rolled her eyes. "The Kodak moment back there with Jess."

"I wasn't having a Kodak moment with Jess." Lane replied. "We were just talking."

"Yeah."

"We were. You were there."

"Hey, whatever, if you think he's cool and everything go for it. I'm sure you guys can get in at least a couple months of dating before he ends up in jail."

"Rory." Lane said sharply. "He was just trying to be nice."

"That's not how he acts at home. That was a charade, Lane."

"Or maybe, he just doesn't get a chance to act like that at home." Lane defended. "Come on, I'm sure he's not as bad you think."

Becoming frustrated Rory let out a large sigh.

"Well, if it make you feel any better, I won't talk to him anymore." Lane offered.

"No." Rory said slowly, feeling like a horrible friend. "You can talk to whoever you want Lane. I'm sorry. It's just…I… He… ugh!"

"Wow…" Lane retorted. "He really gets under your skin."

"Like a disease…" Rory added.

"Ew." Lane snickered. "Come on… I'll help you study."

"Oh, I don't actually have anything to study."

"Well, let's go grab a soda before class then."

"I could use a soda." Rory smiled and walked down the hallway with Lane.


	25. Boyfriend

Lorelai yawned, it was nearly time for her afternoon break and she could definitely used a cup of coffee. Mia wouldn't mind if she took her break a few minutes early. Lorelai grabbed her coffee cup and headed towards the kitchen. She opened the door and nearly stumbled over herself when she saw Sookie standing over the oven.

"Sookie?" Lorelai asked in disbelief.

Sookie turned around. "Lorelai…." She replied in astonishment.

"You're the new chef?"

"Yeah." Sookie replied, still confused. "Why are you here?"

"I'm the assistant manager." Lorelai answered.

Sookie's mouth hung open. "You're… I … Oh boy." Sookie walked towards Lorelai. It was the first time they had seen each other or talked since the day at the café. "I didn't know you worked here, Lorelai."

Lorelai was nearly speechless. "Well, it doesn't matter. I just… I came for coffee." Lorelai walked over to the coffee pot.

"Oh, here, let me make some fresh." Sookie jolted towards the coffee pot.

"No it's okay. Old coffee is good." Lorelai objected.

Sookie grabbed the pot and quickly filled it with water. "How do you like your coffee?"

"Sookie, really… it's fine."

"Extra strong, if I remember correctly." Sookie nervously began to dump coffee grains into the coffee machine.

"Ah, ah… Sookie, that's… that's enough." Lorelai held up her hand to stop Sookie before she dumped in the whole container.

"Oh, God… Did I put in too much… Here I can take some out." Sookie reached inside the coffee machine.

Lorelai grabbed Sookie's hands. "Sookie, stop."

Sookie lowered her head and gazed down at the floor. "Sorry."

"It's okay. Honest. It's okay. I'm glad you got the job here."

"You are?" Sookie asked looking up from the floor.

"Yeah… it'll give us chance to repair our friendship." Lorelai smiled.

A smile crept across Sookie's face. "I heard about you and Luke. And I want to say congratulations."

"Thanks, Sookie." Lorelai replied. "You're more than welcome to come to the wedding but if you feel uncomfortable…"

"No… I want to come. If it's okay with you."

"It's more than okay with me." Lorelai said sweetly.

"Lorelai, I'm sorry for the way I acted before…"

"So am I." Lorelai replied.

"I was being stupid and high schoolish…"

"So was I."

"I never want something like that to happen again."

"Neither do I." Lorelai laughed lightly.

Sookie paused for a moment. "I'm seeing someone else now. He's a really great guy. He's super sweet and nice and pays all kinds of attention to me." Sookie smiled. "I really like him…"

"Aw, Sookie that's wonderful. Bring him to the wedding." Lorelai suggested.

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Of course not. I can't wait to meet him."

Unable to resist any longer, Sookie wrapped her arms around Lorelai. "Oh, Lorelai, I've missed you so much."

(Meanwhile)

Jess and Rory had left the school at the same time, but Rory was walking a good twenty feet in front of Jess and refused to acknowledge him. As she reached the townhouse door she opened it then closed it immediately. When Jess reached the door only seconds later, he sighed and reopened the door.

"Are you always this nice?" Jess asked as he walked through the door. "Cause I wouldn't want to get used to it."

Rory didn't answer, instead she headed towards her bedroom. Jess followed.

"Look, if you're upset over the lunch table thing, I was only giving you what you deserved."

Unable to resist commenting Rory turned around. "What I deserved?" she asked.

"Don't act so innocent." Jess scolded. "You and Lane were laughing and making jokes about me. I only came over there to get back at you. You really think I'm interested in Lane?"

"Why wouldn't you be?"

"She's not my type."

Rory failed to see why. "What's wrong with Lane. She's smart, funny, and pretty…"

Jess huffed. "I don't believe this… First you're mad because I show interest in your friend, and now you're mad because I tell you I was never interested to begin with. It must be extremely tiring to be you."

Rory rolled her eyes. "Jess, why don't you go hibernate in the basement for a few years?"

"Oooh… Like the ogre I am?" Jess asked. "You might as well can the whole 'girl next door' image, I know you're not as sweet and nice as everyone thinks you are."

"And you're a big ball of wholesome?" Rory asked.

"No… but at least I don't pretend I am." Jess walked into Rory's room and sat down on her bed.

"I am nice." Rory replied. "I just haven't been to you."

Jess nodded. "Well…"

"Well, you haven't exactly been nice to me either." Rory pointed out.

"How is that?" Jess asked.

Rory huffed. "Come on, you make snide remarks all the time… you're completely antisocial… you inconsiderate..."

"Why would you want me to be fake?" Jess asked. "What's so great about a person who acts like someone their not?"

"It's not being fake… it's just showing some common decency and courtesy." Rory sighed. "Never mind, you'll never understand."

"So, what you're saying is…" Jess began. "I should pull out a chair when you sit down at the table… I should walk you home from school every day… Open doors for you… ask you how your day was… offer to help you with things… comment you on your appearance and personality…"

"Those would all be nice starts…"

"Sounds like you want me to be your boyfriend." Jess smirked.

"What?!" Rory asked offensively. "No way!"

"Really? Who else would do all those things?"

"Jess, get out of my room…" Rory replied annoyingly.

Jess stood from Rory's bed. "It'd be kind of neat you know… dating someone that lived in the same house as you…"

"Get out…" Rory repeated.

"Alright…" Jess smiled. "I'll go hang out in my dungeon for a while."

Rory closed the door behind him. Never in her life had she met such an impossible and irrational person, but as much as she wanted to dislike Jess, a small part of her couldn't help but want to get to know him more.


	26. Honey You're My Moon

(Next day)

Rory was on her way out of her bedroom and walking towards the door when suddenly Jess appeared in front of her.

"Good morning."

"Jeeze… how long have you been standing there?"

"A few minutes. I thought you were going to be late for school." He looked at his watch. "But we still have twenty minutes." Jess turned and opened the townhouse door. "Let's go."

"Oh, you've got to be kidding…"

"I'm not going to be late for school, just because you want to stand there and gawk all day."

"I'm not gawking…" Rory replied as she headed out the door.

Jess smiled and walked out behind her.

"If this is some joke to get back at me for what I said last night…"

"It's not a joke." Jess quickly replied. "You're right. I should be more of a gentleman."

"Yeah, like you're really going to listen to me."

"I opened the door didn't I?"

"So hard…" Rory mocked.

"I'm walking you to school, aren't I?" Jess continued.

Rory stopped. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because you expect me to." Jess replied.

Rory gazed at him for a moment. He had no true emotion on his face. He could be bursting inside with happiness or dying of sadness and you could never tell. "I don't expect you to be my boyfriend. That was all a misunderstanding…" She began walking again. "You're Luke's nephew… Mom and Luke are getting married… we're all going to be living together…"

"So…"

"So, we could never date."

"Is that the only reason we could never date?" Jess asked. "Because we'd be living together?"

Quickly becoming confused and aggravated Rory began to walk faster. "Jess, I don't want to talk about this."

"Have you even had a boyfriend before?" Jess picked up his speed to match Rory's.

"No." Rory replied. "And I don't intend on getting one soon."

"Interfere with your studies?" Jess asked. "Might get in the way of Med School?"

Rory stopped. "This is all just a game to you isn't it? You're not sincere about anything… this is all just a challenge to see if you can win me over. You don't care about me or my goals or my thoughts… you just think it'd be cool to have a girlfriend that lives in the same house as you. Well, you know what Jess, even if we didn't live in the same house and Luke and my mom weren't getting married, I'd never go out with you."

Jess was hesitant to reply, but did anyway. "Why not?" He asked somberly.

"You're not my type." Rory said harshly and mockingly. She coolly turned and started walking again.

Jess stood still for a moment and watched the girl walk away. He pulled out a cigarette from his jacket pocket and lit it. He crossed the street and headed towards the local book store. He wasn't going to waste his day at school.

A few days later, Lorelai and Luke were preparing for their wedding. Lorelai was filled with butterflies, and Luke had smiled more in the last three days than he had in his entire life. The couple had never been more confident in their decision.

Rory and Jess had hardly seen or spoken to each other over the last few days. Jess wouldn't admit it, but his feelings had been hurt. Rory was still convinced she was the good one between the two and that Jess was a heartless and cold scoundrel. Lorelai had noticed that Jess and Rory weren't really communicating or socializing together and though it worried her that it could cause problems later on for her and Luke, she figured she'd give it more time before she addressed it.

The night before the wedding, Luke and Lorelai were laying peacefully in bed discussing their honeymoon.

"Three days away in a winter cabin… it sounds so peaceful." Lorelai yawned.

"Roasting marshmallows on a fire…" Luke added. "Relaxing in the hot tub."

"Do you think Rory and Jess will be okay while we're gone?" Lorelai asked.

"I'm sure they'll be fine." Luke replied. "Miss Patty will keep a good eye on them."

"I've never left Rory alone before…"

"She won't be alone… Jess and Miss Patty will be here."

"You know what I meant." Lorelai smiled.

Luke laughed. "She'll be okay."

"She's really growing up…" Lorelai continued. "I've noticed so much has changed about her. She's not a little girl that I have to protect anymore. But I'm lucky, you know."

"You are?"

"Instead of growing up and wanting me out of her life, Rory wants me in it even more. She wants us to be friends and talk about everything. It's incredible. I don't know what happened to make her feel that way, but I'm so glad she does."

"You're great mom, Lorelai." Luke said soothingly as he rubbed her arms. "I can't wait till we have our own kids."

Lorelai smiled. "Wow… do you think childbirth has changed much in the last 14 years?"

"I'm sure it'll be easier."

Lorelai thought back to Rory's birth. "Do you remember when we saw her for the first time?"

"Yeah." Luke smiled. "She was so tiny."

"And pink." Lorelai laughed. "You were afraid to hold her."

"I wasn't afraid." Luke defended. "She was just so small, I didn't want to hurt her."

"You were a really good father to her… even though it was for a short period of time." Lorelai snuggled closer. "I always loved watching you two together."

This was it. The most perfect moment in all of Luke's life. He held Lorelai close. Her hair smelled like tropical fruits and her skin was silky smooth. He could stay in this moment the rest of his life and never complain.

Meanwhile, downstairs Jess was listening to his cds in his stereo. He turned up the volume so loud that it began to shake Rory's floorboards. She let out a long frustrating groan and headed towards the basement door. She walked down the steps and into the dim light basement. Jess was laying on his bed reading by a table lamp. He hadn't even noticed Rory had walked in. She walked over and switched off the stereo.

"Hey!" Jess replied as he bolted up from his bed. "You can't just come down here and turn of my music."

"How can you read with that crap playing so loud?"

"It's not crap." Jess replied. "And I guess I'm just good at multitasking." He folded his arms.

"You're probably reading some metal music band magazine anyway. I'm sure it fits right in with your music selection."

"Actually…" Jess handed Rory his book. "I'm reading Hawthorne."

"Yeah, right." Rory laughed as she grabbed the book. "The Scarlet Letter." She huffed. "Okay, so you like one decent book."

Jess walked over to his bed and pulled out a box. "Charles Dickens… Eager Allen Poe… Harper Lee… Tom Clancy…" he piled the books on his bed.

"You really read all of these?" Rory asked as she stepped closer to the pile of books.

"Yeah." Jess answered casually. "What'd you expect… comic books?"

"It would fit the Bart Simpson analogy I had for you."

"Trouble maker, huh?" Jess asked. "Let me guess… you'd be smart little Lisa."

"Couldn't really imagine Luke as Homer though." Rory smiled.

Jess smiled as well. "Funny…I could."

There was a long pause between them. "Well… I'd better get back up stairs. Big day tomorrow."

"Yeah…" Jess put the books back in his box and slid it under the bed.

Rory hadn't moved yet, instead she stood still gazing down at the spot where Jess kept his books. Jess slowly walked over towards her. He could tell she was thinking deeply about something, he could only hope it was about him. He slowly lifted his hand to her cheek. He was about to lean in and kiss her when suddenly, Rory's reflexes kicked in and she quickly backed away.

"See you tomorrow." She spat as she dashed up the stairs.


	27. Run Away If You Want

"Do you Lorelai take this man to be your lawful wedded husband? To have and to hold, through sickness and in health till death do you part?"

"I do."

"By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

A loud roaring of cheer filled the inn as Luke and Lorelai's lips met. Rory and Jess watched as they walked out of the inn and into Luke's old green truck that had secretly been decorated for the special occasion. As they drove off for their honeymoon, Rory and Jess both knew it was going to be an awkward and long three days.

Miss Patty walked over behind Rory. "I'll be over to your house later doll." She replied. "I just have to run home first and get a few things."

"No problem." Rory replied.

Jess and Rory started walking towards home.

"So… they're officially married." Rory said as they walked.

"Yep." Jess replied.

"They looked really happy."

"Um hm." He kicked at a rock while they walked.

"Are you mad at me?" Rory finally asked.

Jess glanced over at Rory. "No." his answer was short but to the point.

"I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean to give you the wrong impression."

"It's cool." Jess shrugged. "No big deal."

"Jess, please don't go back to this…" Rory stopped and grabbed Jess' arm. "Don't go back to speaking emotionless three word sentences only when absolutely necessary."

"Rory…" Jess hung his head. "I don't know what you want from me."

"I'm sorry… I know that I haven't made things any easier on you."

Jess nodded and looked back up at Rory. "I like you, Rory… It's as plain and simple as that. I've liked you ever since we met. I never meant to seem like a jerk or inconsiderate… I didn't realize you were taking so much notice in it… When I tried to change, you mocked me for it…" he ran his hand through his hair. "Last night… it felt like we connected… like we finally found some peace and common ground… but then you ran upstairs."

"I was nervous." Rory admitted.

"Well, so was I…"

"I've never kissed anyone before." Rory began walking again.

"Oh." Jess said blankly as he started to walk with her. "I guess I could understand that."

"We can't be together. It wouldn't be right." Rory stated surely. "We're kind of like brother and sister now."

"No, we're not." Jess quickly disagreed. "We're not related at all… we're no where near brother and sister."

"We're close enough."

"You're just saying that because I'm staying in your basement. If I was Luke's nephew who still lived in California, I'd be open territory."

"Maybe so…" Rory agreed. "But the fact is, you're not. You're in my house… you're going to be part of our family."

Jess shook his head. "Man, everyone in this town sounds the exactly the same."

"I'm sorry, Jess."

"Yeah… me too." Jess replied. "I'm sorry I ever started this."

"Well, it doesn't have to be weird between us. We can still be friends… I want to be friends."

"Sure… whatever." Jess stopped and turned around.

"Where are you going?" Rory asked.

"For a walk. I'll be home later." Jess called over his shoulder.

Hours passed and Jess had never returned home. Miss Patty was beginning to get very worried, but didn't want to call and alarm Lorelai and Luke on their honeymoon.

"Did he say where he was going?"

"No." Rory answered. "He just said he was going for a walk and he'd be home later."

"Oh dear." Miss Patty began to pace the living room. "Should I call Luke?"

"I don't know." Rory honestly replied.

"I don't want to disturb them…" Miss Patty picked up the phone. "I'll call Taylor… We'll gather some people from the town and go looking for him. You stay here incase he comes back."

"Okay." Rory agreed. "No problem."

Another couple of hours passed and Rory heard the front door open. She looked at the clock, it was fifteen minutes after 10:00. Sure enough, Jess walked through the living room.

"Where have you been?" Rory asked as she jumped up from the couch.

"I told you I was going for a walk." Jess headed towards the kitchen.

"That was hours ago!" Rory followed after him. "Do you know how worried everyone has been?"

"No… tell me." Jess replied as he opened the fridge and pulled out a soda.

"Miss Patty has formed a search party."

"Ooo…A search party. Am I on the news too?" Jess sat down at the table.

"Why are you doing this? Why do you want to cause problems?"

Jess leaned back in the chair. "I'm not doing anything. It's everyone else who's acting like idiots. I went for a walk… big deal."

"You've been gone for over eight hours, Jess! People get worried. People start fearing something bad has happened to you. You don't just take off like that! Imagine if someone you cared about just vanished… You're lucky no one has called Luke yet."

Jess jumped up from the table. "Don't start this bull crap with me Rory… I don't want to hear about how everyone here cares about me and loves me… no one here knows me!" he slammed the soda can on the table. "I don't even want to be here! I never wanted to be here! I was fine in LA I didn't need Luke to come play super dad and bring me out here to do this Hick town!"

"Well, if that's how you feel, just leave! Go back to LA!" Rory yelled in return. "Our lives would be better without you anyway."

A wicked smile crossed Jess' face. "Yeah… for once, you're telling the truth about something."

Jess hurried down stairs and grabbed some of his stuff within the next few minutes he was headed out the front door. He was about to leave the yard when Taylor suddenly appeared.

"Jess! Oh, thank heavens!" Taylor turned around. "I found him! Everyone, I found him!"

"Move, Taylor." Jess demanded.

"We've been looking everywhere for you. Are you okay?"

A large group of people made their way over to Jess and Taylor.

"I'm fine… move."

"Jess!" Miss Patty came wobbling over. "Oh, thank god! I thought something horrible had happened. Where on earth have you been?"

"I went for a walk. God, why is everyone in this town so spastic?"

"We were just worried." Babbette added as she came closer. "No one knew where you were, sugar."

"Like you care." Jess bitterly replied.

"Of course we care." Miss Patty corrected. "You're Luke's nephew and a part of this town."

"I'm not a part of this town." Jess shook his head. "I'm part of LA."

"Is that where you're heading?" Taylor asked as he looked at Jess' bag.

"None of your business."

"Jess, sweetheart, come back inside." Miss Patty directed.

Jess pushed Taylor aside. "Get out of my way."

Taylor grabbed Jess by the arm. "I'm sorry, Jess. But I can't let you leave this yard."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Jess asked.

"He's your friend." Miss Patty replied. "Come inside. We'll talk all of this out."

Realizing he couldn't win… Jess groaned and walked back inside of the townhouse. Rory had been watching from the window. Their eyes met as he entered back into the living room. She lowered her stare and walked out of the living room. A few seconds later, her bedroom door shut.


	28. It's A Family Thing

(The next day)

Rory walked by the basement door and heard faint sounds of a guitar and singing. She leaned closer to the door to see if she could make out the noises. Suddenly, a song was audible.

"Filling these blank pages

With words that I can't speak

Trying to carry on

Though my heart is weak

Dancing through the darkness

My heart on my sleeve

Crying out for someone

To come and rescue me

I'd like to be optimistic

But I'm headed for disaster

Yeah, I'm out of happy ever afters…

Broken when I was young

Shattered soon after

My life is slipping away

And I'm falling faster

It's a crash and burn course

And I'm the master

But sadly…

I'm all out of happy ever afters…"

Could these beautiful and yet jagged words truly be the work of Jess? Unable to sustain the suspense of not knowing, Rory opened the basement door. The music and singing quickly stopped.

"Don't stop." Rory replied as she slowly made her way down the stairs.

"Go away." Jess said as he removed his guitar from his lap and laid it on his bed.

"Did you write that?" Rory asked.

Jess looked up at the girl, who kept coming closer. "I was working on it... It's not finished yet."

"Jess, that's incredible." Rory said astonished. "I never had any idea you could write like that. You play the guitar really well too, and honestly, the singing, not so bad." Rory smiled.

"Rory… please get out of my room." Jess stood from his bed.

"Jess…" Rory began to object. "Look it's silly for us to fight. I didn't mean what I said last night… about moving back to LA."

"Well, I mean what I said about not wanting to be here." Jess replied.

"Well… that's fine." Rory paused. "But I think in time, you'll grow to love Stars Hollow."

Jess sighed. "If you're not going to leave, then I am." Jess grabbed his jacket.

"Hey, don't disappear for hours this time, okay." Rory remarked as Jess headed up the stairs.

"No promises." Jess answered as he reached the top step.

(Monday)

"Thanks for staying with us, Miss Patty." Rory replied.

"No problem, sweetheart. You be sure to tell your mother to call me when she gets home this evening. I want to hear all about the honeymoon." She winked.

"I will." Rory promised. "Good bye."

Rory grabbed her books and headed off for school. She hadn't seen Jess that morning, but assumed he was going to skip school just like every day. As she turned the corner of her block, she carelessly bumped into the person in front of her.

"Oh!" Rory remarked as her books fell to the ground and papers scattered everywhere. "I'm sorry… I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." Rory quickly fell to her knees and began picking up her books.

"It's alright." A voice replied. "I wasn't paying attention either."

The two stood in unison and met each other's eyes. Rory was taken aback to see a tall, gorgeous boy standing in front of her.

"I'm Dean." He smiled.

"I'm Rory." She replied. "Sorry that I bumped into you."

"Don't worry about it." Dean eyed the girl over. "You're heading to school?"

"Yeah." Rory replied.

"Me too. I'm new in town… it's my first day."

"Really?" Rory asked. "Well, welcome to Stars Hollow."

"Thanks…" Dean paused. "So, maybe you could show me around campus… I could use some help from someone who knows where they're going."

"Sure." Rory cheerfully agreed. "It's really easy… you'll get the hand of it in no time. What class do you have first?"

"Spanish." Dean replied.

"Mrs. Silks?"

Dean gazed down at his schedule. "That's her."

"I have that first period too."

"Well, that seems fairly easy."

"See… what did I tell you?" Rory started walking and Dean followed closely.

(Lunch)

"So, I hear there's a new guy." Lane said as she bit off a piece of her sandwich. "In our grade too."

"Yeah…" Rory replied. "I met him this morning."

"You did?" Lane asked eagerly. "What's he like?"

"Well, he's…" Rory paused as she spotted Dean walking towards her. "He's right behind you."

"What?" Lane turned around quickly to catch Dean coming up beside her.

"Hey, Rory…" Dean smiled. "Do you mind if I sit with you?"

"This seems oddly familiar." Lane openly stated.

"Sure." Rory smiled.

Dean took a seat beside Rory. He glanced over at Lane. "Hi, I'm Dean."

"Lane."

"Nice to meet you."

"You too." Lane nodded. She smiled at Rory, noticing there was some sort a connection between the two already.

"Dean's from Chicago." Rory began. "He moved here a few days ago."

"Chicago… wow. Windy." Lane noted.

"Oprah…" Rory added.

"Big apple." Lane tacked on.

"Bulls." Dean awkwardly chimed in.

They all three laughed.

"Okay, secret's out, you're sports fan." Lane teased.

"Well, I am a guy." Dean replied.

"So stereotypical." Rory replied.

"Hey." Dean laughed.

Jess walked into the cafeteria and was about to take a seat over in the corner when he noticed a guy sitting at Rory's table.

"No boyfriend anytime soon, huh?" Jess whispered to himself. Jess changed direction and headed towards Rory.

"Hey, Rory." Jess smiled as he came closer, he immediately took a seat beside Lane. "Lane."

"Hey, Jess." Lane replied.

Dean stared at the boy for a moment. Then he decided to introduce himself. "I'm Dean."

Jess looked over. "Really…" he replied lethargically. "So, I missed walking with you to school this morning." Jess directed to Rory.

Rory began to wonder what Jess had up his sleeve. Deciding to stop any ideas he may have of trying to embarrass her, Rory took a bold step.

"Dean, this is my cousin, Jess." She replied.

Jess nearly swallowed his tongue when he heard Rory's words. He had never expected this girl to be so crafty. Even Lane was shocked by Rory's comment.

Dean took Rory's word for truth and thought nothing more about it. "Nice to meet you." He replied politely.

Jess quickly stood from his seat. He took a long look at Dean and then Rory. "See you at home…" he replied and walked away from the table.


	29. Welcome Back

As Lorelai and Luke pulled into the driveway, Lorelai rushed inside.

"Lorelai, Rory won't be home for another half hour." Luke replied as he carried in their luggage.

"I thought maybe she'd be home early." Lorelai replied a bit disappointed.

"She'll be home soon." Luke wrapped his arms around his new wife. "I know she's missed you just as much as you've missed her."

"Then how come she isn't here?"

Luke laughed. "She has school… you know that."

"She could have skipped school to see me." Lorelai playfully pouted. "What kind of kid doesn't leave school early to come home and see their mother?"

Luke gazed around the house. "Well, nothing appears to be destroyed."

"I should call Miss Patty." Lorelai thought out loud.

"Call her later…" Luke suggested. "We have half an hour." He smiled.

Jess and Rory both bolted out of the school doors. Jess was so angry with the girl that he felt like he could just burst into a hundred pieces. Rory had realized she for once had gotten under Jess' skin and was quite pleased with herself.

"You must think you're pretty smooth." Jess snubbed as they began walking towards home.

Rory continued to look straight ahead. "Because I stopped you from making an ass out yourself?"

"Cousins?" Jess asked. "How many more people are you going to feed that bull crap to?"

"Don't worry, I don't want to ruin my reputation." Rory replied.

"You know, I never would have came over there if you hadn't of been sitting with some loser."

"Some loser? You don't even know Dean!"

"Anyone named Dean is a loser."

"God, Jess, that is such a childish thing to say."

Jess rolled his eyes. "Sorry, I guess I should take more notes from you on how to act."

"Dean is a really nice guy… He's sweet and polite…"

"I thought you didn't want a boyfriend…" Jess butted in. "At least that's what you said a few days ago. Things sure do change a lot with you."

"Dean isn't my boyfriend." Rory corrected.

"You want him to be."

Their pace picked up as both of their tempers flared. Rory wasn't sure if she had made Jess jealous or just angry.

"Uuuugh! I'm sick of you thinking you know everything!"

"Well, admit it… You like Dean." Jess followed up.

"I just met him."

"So…"

"So, I haven't had a chance to like him."

Jess quickly stepped in front of her. "But you're going to…"

"Maybe I am." Rory replied staring Jess in the eye. "It's none of your business either way." She maneuvered around Jess and walked across the yard of their house.

The two entered inside one after the other. Lorelai and Luke were walking down the stairs when they heard the two arguing. Rory headed towards her bedroom and Jess was hot on her heals.

"Come on, Rory he's a geek!"

"Why, because he comes to school every day and cares about his education?"

"Or maybe because he wears baggy pants and sweaters… and parts his hair down the middle."

"And you're dressed with the latest fall fashion…" Rory eyed him over. "Jeans and leather jacket… Don't you have a date with the Pink Ladies?"

Unable to come up with a decent reply, Jess groaned out of frustration. "Fine, if that's what you want, go for it!"

"I will!"

"Good!"

"Great!"

"I'm going to the basement now!"

"See you next Halloween!" Rory yelled as Jess slammed the door behind him.

Rory looked up and noticed Luke and Lorelai were standing in the kitchen doorway completely bewildered. She was so caught up in her argument with Jess, she hadn't even noticed they were home.

"Okay, we've definitely missed something." Lorelai replied as she tried to process the argument.


	30. Robe Me The Right Way

"I've never heard her yell like that…"

"She was angry." Luke replied as he changed into his pajamas.

"I didn't even know Rory could yell. I didn't know she knew what true anger was… but that… that was anger in it's truest form."

"She'll get over it."

Lorelai continued to sit in bed and ponder in amazement. "Did you see the way she looked at him? Like she had years and years of hate built towards him… How is that possible?"

"Lorelai…" Luke sighed. "Relax… We knew they wouldn't get a long right off the bat. Jess and Rory are two completely different people. It'll take time for them to find common ground."

Lorelai gazed over at Luke. "She yelled…"

"I know…I was there, remember?" Luke slowly climbed into bed. "Just give it time." He snuggled in closer to Lorelai.

"I feel like I should talk to her… I mean, we haven't talked in days and I'm sure there's so much running through her head. What if she's angry at me?"

"Well, she didn't yell at you." Luke smiled playfully.

Lorelai didn't find his reply amusing. "Luke, this is serious… This is Rory's life that we're talking about here. I mean, it's not just _us._"

"I know that." Luke said becoming more serious. "I just think you're over reacting. Rory will be fine… I'm sure of it." He took Lorelai's arm and began kissing his way up to her face.

"God, Luke, didn't you get enough on the honeymoon?" Lorelai spat bitterly as she jerked her arm away.

Luke leaned back for a moment, unsure of how to take her comment. He looked at her for several moments before he replied. He tried to read into her emotions, but all he saw was frustration.

"I'm sorry. I…."

"Why didn't we take more time to consider her feelings? I have never in my life put my feelings or anyone else's feelings before Rory's." Lorelai was immediately showing sings of grief and remorse.

"It's not that bad of a situation…" Luke replied becoming aggravated.

"I can't imagine what Jess has done to her to make her act so violent."

"Lorelai…"

"She's been through far worse things than meeting a guy her age and has never been that vicious…"

"Lorelai…"

"You said it yourself, he's completely different from Rory… He wears a leather jacket all the time… he has the "I don't care" attitude up and down… I bet he smokes… Have you checked for cigarettes?"

"Lorelai, would you cut the kid a break?!" Luke shouted. Lorelai's mouth quickly closed. "For God's sake… he lost his mother and his dad abandoned him years ago… You of all people should be able to relate to that."

"I do relate to that." Lorelai replied in a softer voice.

"I'll admit Jess is no saint… he needs love and guidance and a role model. But you have to realize, Rory isn't the only kid now… and what happens when we have kids of our own?"

"What are you saying?" Lorelai asked.

"I'm saying… things can't just be you and Rory now. There's other people in the house… and when we have kids of our own, they'll take up a lot of attention and… And I just want to make sure you're ready for that… I don't want you tired or bogged down from stress."

"You're right. I can't focus on other kids if I'm so absorbed in Rory."

Luke secretly congratulated himself in his mind for finally getting a point across to Lorelai. This was the first time he had ever made her step outside her thinking box.

"We just won't have kids of our own until Rory goes to college and is taking care of herself."

Luke's eyes bulged from his head. "That's not funny."

"It wasn't supposed to be."

"Lorelai, Rory is fourteen… She won't be going to college or taking care of herself for years."

Lorelai rolled over to her side of the bed. "Why have more kids when we have two already. Don't you think we should finish raising them first. Like you said, we don't want to be stressed."

"I … Well, what I meant was… When I said…" Luke stopped his stammering. Who was he kidding, he'd never be able to change Lorelai Gilmore's mind.

(The next morning)

Lorelai slowly made her way down stairs to fix coffee. Luke had gotten up hours ago and headed to the diner. She heard Rory's bedroom door open and Rory walk out.

"Hey, sweetie." Lorelai smiled.

"Good morning." Rory greeted as she gently kissed her mother on the cheek. "You look radiant in your new bathrobe."

This was the Rory that Lorelai was used to. "Luke and I both got one… They have L's on them." Lorelai smiled. "I told him we could be Laverne and Shirley, without the Shirley, but he didn't really understand the point."

"Well, it's still neat that they both have L's." Rory replied optimistically.

"Sorry we haven't got to talk lately… I could pick you up from school today if you want… We could hit the mall for a couple of hours." Lorelai suggested.

"I can't…" Rory replied as she poured a glass of juice. "I have to study tonight for a math test tomorrow. I normally wouldn't be so worried but it's worth 30 percent of our final grade and I'm trying to keep my GPA at a perfect 4.0… you know… for college applications."

"Oh, yeah, that whole school thing…" Lorelai paused. "Well, how about tomorrow then? We could celebrate after the test. And tomorrow is Friday, which means you don't have school for two more days."

"Sure..." Rory thought for a moment. "But… Wouldn't you rather do something with Luke?"

"Honey… there's plenty of time for Luke. Right now, I want to spend time with you."

"Well, in that case, I'll clear my whole Friday evening." Rory grabbed her books and headed out the door.

Lorelai poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table. Everything was feeling as normal and peaceful as it ever had until the basement door swung open. Caught off guard, Lorelai's startled reaction caused her to spill coffee all over herself and her new white robe. She jumped from the table immediately and screamed in pain. She looked up to see Jess looking at her.

"Do you always make such explosive entrances?" Lorelai asked as she quickly removed her robe which was now drenched in hot coffee.

Jess suddenly felt something strange as he saw Lorelai standing half naked in front of him. Her sleepwear was definitely appealing. He'd never wondered why Luke was so attracted to the woman, she was gorgeous in every aspect.

Lorelai noticed that Jess had not said a word, and yet not moved from the spot he was standing. She grabbed her coffee stained robe and wrapped it back around her. She wasn't used to having to be careful of her actions around the house due to the company of males.

"Sorry." Jess finally replied in a low raspy voice. "Bye." He ended as he headed out the door.


	31. You'd Better Think

"You took off your robe in front of him?!" Sookie asked in disbelief.

"Not by choice, Sookie. I did have steaming hot coffee all over it." Lorelai replied. "Besides, I had lingerie on."

"Yeah, that makes it better. Lingerie is made to be sexy." Sookie pointed out. "You'd better tell Luke."

"Oh, yeah that'd be a swell conversation… Hey, Luke, Jess saw me half naked in my lingerie this morning… You know the green thing with the strap you like so well, guess what it's a favorite of his too."

"Well…" Sookie bit her lip. "Yeah, I guess you shouldn't tell him. I'm sure it's not anything to worry about." Sookie added optimistically. "Jess is a teenage boy. What teenage boy wouldn't act that way when they see a woman in lingerie."

"It's not Jess' reaction… It's the fact I was stupid enough to carelessly remove my robe. I'm not used to a boy being in the house. I'm used to me and Rory… I'm used to all girls… Always all girls. Trix, Joan, Emily… Sure, there was Richard… but how often do you think we were in the same room? Guys have just never been around."

"So, it'll take some adjusting… but you'll make it work." Sookie smiled. "I'm sure Jess has already forgotten about it."

(Stars Hollow High)

Jess and some of his cheap low life friends he had made were standing behind a dumpster, ditching math class. It seemed like a good time to bring up the Lorelai incident, so Jess told the boys all about it. He couldn't help but boast a little and laugh about funny it was when she realized she was in her sleep clothes.

"No way…" Chuck replied.

"Yes, way." Jess smiled wickedly. "You should have seen her jump."

"You should make her spill her coffee more often. Rory's mom is a babe. I've seen her around." Chuck nodded his head. "I'd hit that."

Jess was finding the entire conversation comical up till this point. His smile quickly faded. "Shut up, man."

"What?" Chuck laughed. "You were just talking about how she stripped for you this morning. Oh… I see… Jealousy."

"It's not like that." Jess replied smoothly. "It was just funny… that's all. "

"And really hot." Robbie added. He had been listening to the boys' conversation.

Jess scratched the back of his head. "No… It's my uncle's wife, alright. It's Rory's mom."

"So…" Chuck replied carelessly.

"So back off." Jess said hatefully.

"Dude, you brought it up." Chuck defended.

"Personally, I'd like to catch both the Gilmore girls in the lingerie… I could be in a Gilmore sandwich if you know what I mean." Robbie was about to high five Chuck for his vile and outrageous comment, but before he realized what was happening he found himself laying on the ground.

"Jess! What the hell, man!" Chuck lunged towards Jess and tried to pull him off Robbie. "Get off him!"

Jess threw punch after punch, aiming directly for Robbie's face. Finally, Chuck and a couple of other boys pulled Jess away.

"Don't you ever say something like that again!" Jess yelled as he pointed his finger at Robbie.

Robbie put his hand to his nose and felt the blood rushing down his face. "You're crazy…" Robbie mumbled. He slowly pulled himself to his feet. "I'm going home."

A couple of the boys followed after Robbie. Chuck stayed back beside Jess.

"What is up with you, Mariano?" Chuck asked.

"He shouldn't have said that." Jess replied as dusted off his jacket.

"He's just being goofy… everyone talks like that."

"Not about them." Jess said in a low voice. He gazed back over at Chuck.

"So, what are you really into this Rory girl or something?"

"That's none of your business."

Chuck sighed. "Whatever… See you around." Chuck walked back towards the school yard.

Jess looked at his watch. There were only twenty minutes of class left for the day, so he decided to head on home. He just wanted to lay down for a while and be alone. Nothing had made sense to him in days.

Later that evening Luke came home from the diner and headed straight up to his and Lorelai's bedroom. Lorelai was in their bathroom, soaking in a nice hot bath when she heard Luke's angry voice.

"Lorelai!"

"In the tub!" She replied.

Luke opened the bathroom door. "Did Jess see you naked?" He asked forwardly and yet awkwardly.

Lorelai rose up from the tub. "What? No!" She quickly jumped out of the tub and wrapped herself in a towel.

"Do you know what happened to me today?" Luke asked. "I was in my diner minding my own business and Miss Patty shows up. And do you know what she tells me?"

"That Jess saw me naked?" Lorelai asked pretty much putting together the pieces.

"Exactly!" Luke raised his arms in the air. "How on this earth did she hear something like that?"

"Luke… I… I don't know how it got to Miss Patty, but Jess didn't see my naked. I spilled coffee on my new robe and without thinking I took it off in front of him, but I had on lingerie."

"Lingerie doesn't…"

"Doesn't make it any better _I_ know." Lorelai held up her hand.

"What were you thinking? You can't just … just do whatever you want anymore."

"Luke, I'm sorry… I wasn't thinking, obviously. I know that things are different. I never would intentionally do something like that." Lorelai walked over and picked up her robe. "I bleached it, but you can still see the stain." She showed Luke.

He looked at the robe and back to Lorelai. "Lorelai, you've go to be more careful."

"I know. I'm sorry. I'll talk to Jess if you want. I'm not sure what I'll say but…"

"No." Luke objected. "Let's just let it go and pray no one else hears about it."

"Okay… If that's what you think is best."

"Are you done?" Luke asked. "In the bathroom, I mean."

Lorelai nodded her head yes. Luke stepped around her and shut the door. A few minutes later, Lorelai heard the shower turn on. She slipped into her night gown and laid down in the bed. A few minutes later, Luke came out of the shower. He didn't speak. He turned off the lights and laid down beside Lorelai, his back facing her direction. It was hours before either of them fell asleep.


	32. Don't Tell Me To Jump

Dean had waited patiently all morning and was eager to see Rory at lunch. He saw her and Lane at their usual table and smiled. She looked so pretty today. Which Dean thought she looked pretty every day. He strolled over to the table and sat down.

"Hey." He greeted.

"Hey." Rory smiled.

"Hi, Dean." Lane felt the need to remind them she was at the table. 

Dean looked over. "Hey, Lane. How's your day been?"

"Decent. I'm actually passing History now with a C plus."

"Congratulations." Dean laughed. "You've earned it."

"Darn right." Lane admitted narcissistically.

Dean's focus fell back to Rory. "So… Um…" He paused. "Since it's the weekend, I thought…well, unless your busy."

Rory giggled. "Unless, I'm busy…?"

Dean quickly realized he hadn't actually asked a question. He could feel his face getting hotter and hotter as each second passed. Rory noticed the boy's nervousness but decided that she wouldn't call attention to it.

"Well… If you're not busy… I thought maybe you and I could … go to a movie." Dean swallowed heavily. He had never felt so sick to his stomach as he did at that moment. He wasn't sure if Rory would accept his offer or not and the thought of rejection was beyond scary.

"Sure. I love movies." Rory replied gracefully.

"You do?" Dean asked as a wave of relief rushed over him.

"Yeah. I've always been a huge movie buff." Rory took a sip of her soda.

Dean cleared his throat "So… which night is good for you?"

Rory thought for a moment. "Well… this evening I'm going to the mall with my mom… but tomorrow evening I don't have any plans."

"Great!" Dean replied energetically. He could actually use the extra day to prepare himself and make sure everything was perfect.

"Awww!" Lane's loud noise made both Dean and Rory turn their heads and stare at her. "Well, come on, that's sweet!" She smiled. "You guys are going to have a great time."

Dean looked back at Rory. "I don't have my license yet."

"What freshman does?" Lane asked openly.

"But if you don't mind walking…"

"I don't mind." Rory assured.

"Then I can come by your house around 6:00?"

"6:00 is good." Rory agreed. "There's a theater just a few blocks from my house. It won't take long to walk there."

A burst of laughing suddenly caught Lane, Dean, and Rory's attention. A young boy came walking over to Rory's table.

"Hey, Rory... I hear your mom likes to strip for younger guys."

Rory nearly lost her breath.

"Hey!" Dean jumped up from the table.

"Take it easy…" The boy smiled. "You wouldn't want to make Rory spill anything on her clothes… or would you?" He snickered.

Dean moved closer to the boy. "Shut up!" Dean stepped into the boy's face. He wasn't sure what this was about, but that didn't matter. It was definitely inappropriate.

"Dean, stop." Rory replied a lower voice.

Dean looked down at Rory. "But…"

"Just stop. Please."

Dean slowly backed away from the boy. The boy's smile only increased. He leaned down to Rory's ear. "Tell your mom I'll be over for coffee later." he whispered and then walked back to his group of friends.

"What the hell is that about?" Dean asked looking at Rory.

Rory couldn't reply, she had no idea what had provoked such a vulgar action from the boy.

(The Inn)

Lorelai sighed heavily and headed into the kitchen for her sixth cup of coffee.

"I'll never know how you sleep at night." Sookie replied as she watched the woman pour another cup.

"We prefer to lay awake in our beds all night anyway…" Lorelai sharply answered. "Not talking… Just laying… Basking in silence."

"Huh?" Sookie asked, obviously not having any idea what Lorelai was talking about.

"It's nothing…" Lorelai shook her head. "I guess marriage life just isn't what I expected."

"Oh." Sookie replied blankly. She wanted desperately to ask more questions, but figured she'd be safer off not prying into their relationship. After all, Lorelai and were just starting to become friends again.

"I mean… he bursts into the bathroom, while I'm in the tub!" Lorelai's voice rose. "And starts asking me all these questions…"

"Questions?"

"Did Jess see you naked? Guess what happened to me today? How did Miss Patty hear something like that?"

"He heard about Jess and the robe thing…" Sookie concluded.

"Yeah, he heard. And you know what else, I think he blames me… In fact, I think he is angry with me over it."

"Angry? Because you didn't tell him?"

"No, not because I didn't tell him. See that would actually make _some _sense. He's just angry… angry because I slipped up in front of his nephew and Miss Patty heard about it." Lorelai's lip stiffened. "How dare he act like he's the one embarrassed here… I have any and all rights to embarrassment!"

"Well…"

"And then, he says. 'Are you done in there? The bathroom I mean?'" Lorelai snubbed. "I wasn't done… and what's it his business? I was enjoying a long hot bath until he showed up. I told him I was done though… and do you know what he did?"

"Uh…"

"He went in… he went in, shut the door, took a shower, came out, turned off the light and laid down in bed."

Sookie had never seen this side of Lorelai before. "He was tired?"

"Neither one of us fell asleep for hours…" Lorelai emphasized. "I swear at 2:00 am, I heard him get up and get something to eat. Which means I of course was up too at 2:00 am." Lorelai let out a long frustrating sigh. "Why couldn't we just talk about it?"

Sookie felt as if all pressure was put on her to come up with not only an answer but a logical and well explained one. She quickly searched her mind.

"Lorelai, you and I both know that Luke is a very… well… private person. I'm sure he's feeling a little embarrassed right now, mainly because Miss Patty knows and she's the one who told him… in his diner. He's probably wondering how many more people know and who told to begin with…"

Lorelai let out a small laugh. "Sookie, I can tell you exactly who told. It wasn't me, so that only leaves one person."

Sookie nodded her head. "Jess probably did tell…

"The only person I told was you." Lorelai butted in. "Did you tell Miss Patty?"

"No. Of course not."

"Then there you go. Elementary, my dear Watson. Brilliantly done."

"Sweetie, I'm sure if you'd just give Luke a little time…"

"A little time?" Lorelai's eyes rolled. "He's the one that said to jump without looking… he's the one who asked me to marry him and not think twice about it…" Lorelai lowered her voice to mimic Luke's "Just jump, Lorelai. Head first… Be more spontaneous."

Sookie was out of things to say. Nothing seemed to affect Lorelai's ranting anyway. She sighed and went back to her cooking.


	33. Jess You're A Goner

Later that afternoon, Lorelai waited outside the school parking lot for Rory. She had began to think about her situation with Luke and was staring distantly into empty space. Her distant empty space staring was abruptly interrupted when the car door slammed shut.

Lorelai quickly turned and saw a very emotionally distraught Rory sitting in the passenger seat.

"Hey." Lorelai greeted. Rory didn't reply. Lorelai could tell Rory's eyes were puffy and red. Had Rory been crying? "Rory, honey, are you okay?"

"Just drive." Rory mumbled.

Lorelai put the car in drive and pulled out of the parking lot. "What's going on?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Can I ask why?"

"No." Rory sniffled.

This was odd. Rory had always been very enthusiastic about talking. She had been encouraging Lorelai to talk more for months.

"Is something wrong? Did something happen at school?"

Not wanting to hear the truth, but incapable of holding it in any longer, Rory turned to her mother. "I wanted to believe it was all some cruel lie… but it wasn't." Her eyes became full of tears. "At least if it was a lie, I could feel somewhat better about it."

"Rory…" Lorelai could feel the heaviness of Rory's emotion. "Sweetie, just tell me."

"They knew your stupid robe had an L on it… and that you were wearing some green night gown thing…"

"Oh God…" Lorelai replied

"So it is true?..." Rory sniffled again. "Jess saw you this morning?"

"Rory, I …"

"Did he see you?" Rory persisted.

"Yes. Okay, he saw me." Lorelai turned on to the Hartford exit. "But it was a slip up. He just suddenly appeared from the basement and I was startled. I spilled hot coffee on my robe and without thinking I jumped up and took it off… It's not as bad as it seems. I mean I'm sure he's seen way more in magazines and television…."

"That's not the point!" Rory interrupted. "Jess could see women naked all day every day as far as I care, but when one of them is my mother that's a big deal!"

"Whoa, first of all I wasn't naked… And secondly, I've already taken the heat for all of this and I realize now this is going to be one of the most haunting mistakes I've ever made in my life. I mean this mistake is second only to acquitting OJ Simpson."

"You're not the only one who's getting heat from this." Rory quickly replied. "Everyone in school knows about it… Everyone… Boys are making comments that you're some hot babe and they want to come over and have coffee with you… People are asking me if I take after my mom… everyone is laughing, and being complete assholes about it. I've never been so embarrassed in my life!"

Lorelai was in complete shock. She had never expected this to affect Rory's school life. She couldn't even imagine what this must have felt like. All she could think of was this was Jess' fault. That sniveling little twerp ran his mouth and now he'd caused pain for everyone. Lorelai stopped the car and turned around.

"What are you doing?" Rory asked.

"Change of plans. We're not going to the mall today."

"Where are we going?"

"Luke's." Lorelai answered shortly. "This has gone too far."

(Dean's House)

"Hey, Dad?"

"Yeah, son?"

Dean slowly walked into the living room where his father was watching a baseball game. "Um… Can I have a couple bucks?"

Jordan looked back at Dean. "For what?"

"The movies…"

Jordan reached into his pocket. "Sure…" he handed Dean a ten dollar bill.

Dean took the money and looked back as his father. "Actually, I'm going to need a little more than just ten."

"Dean…" Jordan began. "Tickets are six dollars. That gives you four dollars to buy a soda and popcorn. That's plenty of money."

"Well, yeah for one person."

Jordan looked awkwardly at Dean for a moment and then smiled. "You're going to the movies with someone?"

"Kind of…"

"And is this someone, kind of a girl?"

Dean nervously smiled. "Yeah…"

Jordan laughed and reached back into his pocket. "Here. Make sure she has a good time."

Dean was surprised to see his dad reach him another twenty dollars. "Gee… Thanks." He smiled.

"Get her an extra large popcorn." Jordan winked.

"I will." Dean replied happily.

Dean took off up stairs to his room. He had secretly been saving his money for weeks for a special occasion. Now that his dad had handed him thirty dollars he'd have more than enough money to take Rory out on a wonderful date and buy her a gift as well. Dean counted the money several times to make sure he was counting it correctly.

"Twenty dollars for the movie…" he began. "Ten dollars if she wants to get coffee afterwards… and Twenty dollars for a gift." He smiled to himself. Now the only question was what kind of gift would Rory like?


	34. Go On Then Run

Lorelai pulled up beside the diner and jumped out of the car. Rory attempted to follow but Lorelai quickly stopped her.

"Stay in the car."

"Mom…"

"Rory, stay in the car." Lorelai's voice was stern and Rory could sense her mother's anger. Rory stepped back into the car and shut the door.

Lorelai entered the diner and saw Luke standing at the counter putting out a fresh apple pie.

"Luke…" Lorelai started walking towards her new husband. "We need to talk, now."

Luke glanced up at Lorelai. "Just a second. If I don't get this pie under glass it'll start to go stale."

"This is much more important than a pie, Luke." Lorelai grabbed him by the arm and led him upstairs to the old apartment, where Luke had been storing extra supplies.

"Lorelai… what are you doing?"

"Talking… and so are you." Lorelai closed the door to the apartment. "Guess what happened to me today, Luke?" Lorelai began sharply. "I just got back from picking my crying kid up from school…"

"Rory's crying? What happened?" Luke asked concerned.

"That's a good question. Why don't we ask Jess? Where is the scoundrel anyway? Knocking over the nearest Piggly Wiggly?"

"What?"

"He went to school and told everyone what he saw… My daughter has been ridiculed, embarrassed, and harassed. I know things don't always work out perfect, Luke and that things take time, but when my daughter is crying because some jerk kid asked her if her mom is a stripper and that he'll be over later to have coffee with me, I don't have much patience for time."

"You're kidding?"

"Does it sound like I'm kidding?"

Luke swallowed heavily. "He won't get away with this, Lorelai. I won't let him…"

"Damn straight, he's not getting away with this. He's in my house… You and I are married, and I deserve respect. And so does Rory. You talk about how things are different now and how I'm going to have to get used to having two guys around, well same goes for you."

"Lorelai, I'll handle it…" Luke assured.

"You'd better." Lorelai stared him directly in the eye. "We didn't come back to Stars Hollow for this."

Luke suddenly felt defensive. "Why did you come back to Stars Hollow, Lorelai?" he asked bitterly.

"Because, Rory thought this was some magical place that was going to make all of her dreams come true. Some fairytale land that was full of storybook characters and charming coffee shops."

"And it's not?" Luke asked.

"No… It's not." Lorelai turned and left the apartment, slamming the door behind her.

Lorelai bolted out of the diner and hurried into her car. Rory didn't say a word. She knew that now was not the time to talk to Lorelai. A few minutes later they pulled into their driveway and sure enough, there was Jess sitting on the back porch reading one of his books.

Lorelai had contemplated saying something to Jess, but before she could consider her options, Rory was already out of the car and headed towards the boy.

"You jerk!"

"Nice to see you too." Jess replied.

"How could you do something like that!?" Rory stormed over beside him.

"Something like what?"

"Don't play stupid…"

Jess stood from the steps. "That's kind of hard to do when talking to you."

Lorelai came up behind Rory. "Rory, don't…."

Rory turned back to her mother. "No… He needs to admit what he done and apologize."

"Apologize for what?" Jess asked.

"For telling everyone at school what you saw yesterday morning." Rory snapped her head back at Jess. "You're never satisfied until you wreck everything are you?"

"Wreck everything?" Jess replied. "I took up for you. I got into a fight for you."

"Yeah, right…" Rory spat.

"Rory…" Lorelai repeated.

"Okay, so I told some people Lorelai spilled coffee on her. It was funny. I didn't tell them anything else… When they started mentioning all that other stuff, I told them to back off."

"Stop acting like your some charming heroic gentleman! Just admit what you did!"

"I already admitted what I did!" Jess yelled in return. "If you'd get your head out of your ass every now and then, maybe you could see that!" Jess rushed off the steps and started walking away from the house.

"Run!" Rory shouted. "Run away just like you always do, Jess!"

Lorelai was surprised. She had always thought she carried a mean punch, especially when it came to putting a guy in his place, but she wasn't the only feisty Gilmore in the house. It was like looking back into Lorelai's teenage years, but was that a good thing?


	35. On My Team

Luke opened the door and walked in. Lorelai was sitting at the kitchen table sipping on a cup of coffee.

"No luck?" She asked looking up.

"No." Luke replied. "Wherever he's went, he's made sure he covered his tracks." Luke pulled out a chair and sat down across from Lorelai. "I'm sure he's found someone where to spend the night… He'll probably show up in the morning."

"I feel horrible about all of this…" Lorelai said as she looked over at Luke.

"It's not your fault." Luke retorted. "Jess is just… he's a handful, you know. Running away is the easy thing to do and so that's what he's done. It has nothing to do with you."

"Rory said he's disappeared before… while we were on our honeymoon. The whole town was out looking for him…"

"Yeah." Luke nodded. "I can't wait till he grows out of this stage."

"He's fifteen Luke, I don't think he'll grow out of this stage. I think Jess is the type of person who has trouble facing problems and he can never come up with a solution… so he runs."

"Well, that's probably because that's all he's ever seen his mom do. Liz ran away from everything… she thought another town, or another state would make everything better."

"I guess I'm kind of guilty of that myself." Lorelai admitted.

"No… it's different with you… you were making decisions, you weren't trying to hide from anything or run away from a problem."

"I'm not so sure… I've asked myself at least a thousand times why I left here."

"Because you thought London would be the best place for you and Rory." Luke answered. "Trix was there…"

"I left because I couldn't face you… because I couldn't deal with our problem." Lorelai gazed into Luke's eyes.

"Well, none of that matters." Luke said still unwilling to blame Lorelai for anything. "You're back now and we're together and that's all that's important."

"Rory told me she has a date tomorrow…" Lorelai randomly added. "First thing I thought was '_Wow, you're old enough to date?"_ And after realizing she's completely and totally old enough to date, I became nervous and worried… and I swear I jumped like twenty levels into mother mode…"

"Rory's responsible… I'm sure she'll make good decisions." Luke added.

"There's a pattern with women in my family… It happened to my mom… it happened to me…"

"Lorelai…"

"I'm not saying it'll happen to Rory… I want to do everything to ensure that it doesn't. I'm just worried is all… I guess I'm not used to Rory being old enough for guys and dating and… it's just all so new."

Luke smiled. He understood what Lorelai meant. At that moment he realized that for the first time in days, they were actually talking; sharing emotions and feelings with each other. Their communication barrier had finally been broken down.

"Who's the lucky guy?" Luke asked.

"Oh, some boy named Dean." Lorelai smiled.

"Like James Dean?"

"God, I hope not." Lorelai added with a bit of laughter. "Rory says he's really sweet and little awkward… sounds like a good combination."

"Well, if Rory approves, I'm sure he's a good guy."

"You honestly believe that much in her judgment?" Lorelai asked a bit skeptical.

"Of course I do." Luke reached his hand across the table to Lorelai's. "I know you've raised her to be careful and smart about these types of things… She's got a good head on her shoulders and that's because of you. You're a great mom." Luke smiled.

Now Lorelai remembered why she said yes in the first place. This was the Luke Danes that she loved. These were the moments that everyone waited for in life. The moment that was set up so perfectly and timed so specifically, it kept you going though everything else was falling down around you. She leaned across the table and as her lips came close to his, the back door opened and Lorelai and Luke both pulled away from each other. They turned to see Jess standing in the doorway.

"What can I say… I've got a knack for opening doors at inconvenient times." Jess replied as he closed the door behind him. "Don't mind me, go back to what you were doing." He walked over to the basement door and opened it.

"Wait a minute…" Luke stood up from the table. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Uh, going to bed…"

"Can it with the wise cracks." Luke replied sternly. "Sit down." He pointed to an empty chair at the table.

"Luke, it's 1:00 am…" Jess replied.

"Exactly my point… sit down!" Luke said aggressively. Lorelai even flinched a bit by his harsh tone.

Jess mumbled a few words under his breath and then sat down at the table. Luke sat down as well.

"First off, this running away thing stops now… I've been out looking for you for hours. You don't just vanish like that."

"What?" Jess asked in disbelief. "I'm under lock down now?"

"That sounds pretty good." Luke replied. "Or here's a better term. Grounded."

"Grounded?" Jess couldn't believe his ears. "For what? Getting away from a deranged screaming girl?"

Luke's anger rose. "You went to school and you spread lies…" Luke said slowly and yet hatefully. "You embarrassed Rory… You've tarnished Lorelai's image and you've humiliated the whole family."

"No… I didn't. I told some guys at school that Lorelai spilled her coffee. I made a joke about it… they're the ones who took it to the next level. I took up for them!" Jess replied.

"You never should have opened your mouth to begin with…"

Jess stood up from the table. "Whatever…."

"Sit down!" Luke yelled.

"No… I get it now." Jess replied calmly. "It doesn't matter what I do… I'm always going to be labeled the bad kid… the trouble maker… the ogre …"

"That's not true." Luke remarked.

"Yes it is!" Jess countered. "I've told Rory and I've told you that I didn't spread those things… that I took up for Lorelai and Rory and neither one of you want to believe me. Fine, I don't care anymore. I'm through caring. If everyone wants to blame for everything, go ahead!"

"I believe you." Lorelai suddenly said. Luke and Jess both looked over at the woman who they had practically forgotten was in the room.

"What?" Luke asked not sure what Lorelai meant.

"I believe him." Lorelai clarified. "He says he didn't say anything else other than it was funny… I believe him. I believe he took up for us too."

Jess wasn't sure whether or not to trust Lorelai. He was quite for several seconds. Luke was also caught off guard.

"Why do you believe him?" Luke asked.

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know… He just made a mistake, like I did. I slipped up and removed my robe in front of him… he slipped up and said something that other people took the wrong way. He didn't intentionally cause any of this."

Jess stared at the woman. "Yeah…" he nodded. "That's it…"

Luke scratched at the back of his head. "Well, if you believe him…"

"So, I'm not grounded?" Jess asked.

"Oh yeah, you're grounded. This doesn't excuse the taking off till 1:00 am part."

Jess sighed. "Fine, for how long?"

Luke looked over at Lorelai. Lorelai didn't give any type of sign or movement. She sat there waiting for Luke to make the decision.

"Uhhh…" Luke exhaled deeply. "A week."

"Alright…" Jess replied. "Can I go to bed now?"

"Yeah… go on." Luke nodded towards the basement. "No music or television. Straight to bed." He added.

Jess turned and looked back at Lorelai. He didn't know why she had decided to believe him or take his side, but it was a relief to have someone on his team for once.


	36. Rise And Crash

_**A/N: First of all I want to apologize for the fact it's been forever since I have updated. I was on Thanksgiving break for a while, so I didn't have much time to write and when I came back to college, wasn't working correctly so I was unable to upload new documents. Anyway, we're in good shape now right? Let's see if I can remember how I wanted to write this story. Lol **_

Dean knocked on the door of the Gilmore/Danes house. He took a deep breath as the door opened and instead of seeing Rory, a tall dark haired man with a ball cap answered.

"Um… Hi." Dean replied nervously. "Is this Rory Gilmore's house?"

Luke eyed the young boy over. His immediate opinion was he was a little nerdy and awkward like Lorelai had described him the night before. He appeared harmless. Luke broke a tiny smile.

"Yes, it is." He opened the door wider. "Come in. Rory will be ready in a few minutes."

"Thanks." Dean slowly stepped inside the house.

Luke lead the boy into the living room. "So, going to a movie?" Luke asked.

"Yeah…" Dean replied as he took a seat on the couch.

"Which one?"

"The 7:00 one."

"What's it called?"

"Well, we haven't really picked one yet. Rory said she'd like to see what's playing first." Dean swallowed heavily. Rory hadn't mentioned her father was so intimidating.

Luke sat down across from Dean. "So, the movie should be over with around 8:30… 9:00 at the latest…"

"Should be." Dean agreed. "Also, I figured if Rory wanted to get some coffee… I mean, if it's okay with you."

"Sure, sure… coffee is good. Just as long as Rory's back by 10:00."

"She'll be back before 10:00." Dean replied.

"Even better." Luke smiled.

Lorelai walked into the room and noticed a young boy sitting on her couch. She cast Luke an awkward look and then focused back on the boy.

"You must be Dean?" Lorelai asked as she came around to his side of the couch.

Dean stood up. "Yes, ma'am."

"Hi, I'm Lorelai." Lorelai extended her hand.

"Nice to meet you." Dean returned the hand shake.

Lorelai noticed the boy was very tall and handsome. No wonder Rory had agreed to go out with him. "I think Rory's almost ready, but I'll go and let her know you're here." Lorelai ended with a smile.

"Thanks." Dean replied and sat back down.

"So, you're new in town?" Luke began.

"Yeah… just been here a few weeks."

"Where are you from?"

"Chicago."

Luke leaned forward. "Chicago? A lot of bad things can happen in a big city like that. I hope you stayed out of trouble."

Dean let out a nervous chuckle. "I did, sir. I've never been in any trouble… ever. I've never even cheated on a test."

Convinced that Dean was as innocent of a boy as Rory could have picked, Luke leaned back into his chair. "Did you ever go to White Sox game?"

"All the time." Dean replied easily. "My family had season tickets."

"Is that so?"

"Are you a fan?"

Luke nodded. "I like to watch them play. More of a Boston man myself."

Dean laughed. "I figured you'd say Yankees."

"I hate the Yankees." Luke replied. "They win too much."

Feeling much more at ease and comfortable, Dean began to forget how nervous he had been all day. "You know, a lot of people say that."

"Hey, truth is truth."

"If anyone deserves to win the world series next season it's Boston… And I'm not just saying that."

"Yeah, they deserve the win, but if Clay Titter doesn't step and start coaching his players better, they're not getting anywhere."

Rory walked into the room and noticed Luke and Dean were having a very friendly conversation. She cleared her throat to make herself known. Dean turned his head and saw her standing behind him. He jumped up from the couch.

"Hey."

"Hey." Rory smiled. "Sorry for making you wait."

"It's okay. I was just talking to your dad about baseball." Dean looked back at Luke.

Rory looked over at Luke who had an apologetic look on his face. Luke didn't mean to act as Rory's father; it had just came so natural to him. Which, Luke was her stepfather. That counted for something, right?

"Oh? Well, he loves baseball." Rory replied. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, if you are." Dean assisted Rory with her coat and they headed towards the door.

"It was nice meeting you. Bye, Mr. Gilmore." Dean replied as he closed the door behind him.

Luke laughed to himself and then went in search of Lorelai. He found her a few minutes later folding some laundry in their bathroom. He came up behind her and put his arms around her.

"I'm surprised you wasn't downstairs to see Rory off on her first date."

Lorelai turned around quickly. "They left already?!" Lorelai obviously hadn't intentionally missed the seeing off.

"A few minutes ago." Lorelai attempted to bolt around Luke. Luke grabbed her. "They're long gone." He laughed. "It's okay. I checked him out. He's safe."

"What do you mean you checked him out?" Lorelai asked.

"I talked to him for a little bit… asked a few questions." Luke replied.

"God, I knew I should have came straight back into the living room. When I dated, you didn't leave as soon as your date got here, you made them wait at least ten minutes before you even came into the room, then you hung around and let the parents evaluate him."

"Lorelai, that isn't true." Luke smiled. "I know you never did that.."

"Yeah, well it sounded good." Lorelai remarked.

"Don't worry… it's fine. You've talked to Rory all day about this date. I'm sure she has every based covered."

"Yeah… I guess it is kind of better that I wasn't there when she left."

"Yeah, you might have done something embarrassing."

"Probably." Lorelai agreed. "But I can be right here when she gets home and do all the embarrassing things I want." Lorelai went back to folding her laundry.

"You know, Dean thought I was Rory's dad." Luke randomly threw out.

She turned around quickly. "What did he say?"

"Well, when Rory walked in, he told he'd been talking to her dad about baseball."

Lorelai squinted her eyes. "Oh, no…"

"It's okay." Luke quickly replied. "Rory played right along with it."

"She did?"

"Yeah." Luke smiled. "What was really funny was when Dean left, he said 'Bye, Mr. Gilmore.'"

"Well, I guess she didn't want to embarrass Dean by saying anything."

"Or… maybe she kind of sees me as her dad."

"I'm sure she sees you as a _father figure_…." Lorelai said carefully. "But I don't think she sees you as her dad."

"Well, I _am_ her step-dad." Luke noted. "But what's it matter? I mean I helped her raise her until she was two… I'm helping now."

"Yeah, and it's so wonderful that you're so loving and accepting of her, but DNA wise…"

"What's DNA got to do with anything?" Luke asked sharply. "Come on, you of all people should understand that."

"I do understand that…" Lorelai defended. "But, I don't think Rory considers you a father… and I don't think she'll ever call you dad."

"Who said anything about her calling me dad?"

"You kind of make it seem like you want her to."

Luke's voice rose a little. "I never said that."

"Well, you implied it." Lorelai remarked. "Look, I just don't want your feelings to get hurt."

"My feelings aren't going to get hurt. I know Rory sees me as more than just your new husband. You told her about how we used to live together, right?"

"Yes… I told her a few months ago." Lorelai placed her hand to her forehead. She regretted saying anything at all.

"So who has the problem here, you or her?"

"What?"

"I'm saying, are you the one who doesn't want her to seem me as her father?"

"Luke…"

"Just answer the question, Lorelai."

"I don't know…" Lorelai replied annoyed.

"What are you going to do, hunt Chris down? Are you gonna say 'Here, Rory…. This is your father. Don't pay any attention to the fact he's walking away from us.'"

"Don't make light of this situation, Luke. Rory knows Chris walked away. I told her that he walked away."

"Did you tell her who stayed, Lorelai? Did you mention who picked up the pieces when it all fell apart?" Luke's voice became raspy.

"I stayed." Lorelai stressed. "I picked up pieces too."

"Who helped you?" Luke asked. "When Chris left… When Joan died…"

"What do you want a freaking Oscar?!" Lorelai shouted.

Luke paused for several seconds. "I just want the credit I deserve. That's all." He replied coolly. He turned and walked out of the bathroom leaving Lorelai very frustrated and confused.


	37. For Better Or Worse

It was nearly midnight and Rory suddenly had the munchies for the leftover pizza in the fridge. She had spent well over an hour and a half explaining the entire date to Lorelai. Which she didn't mind. She found every moment with Dean to be absolutely perfect right down to the necklace he gave her. As she stepped into the kitchen she could hear Jess play his guitar. He was definitely getting better.

Rory walked over to the basement door and opened it. The music immediately stopped.

"It's me." Rory replied in a whisper.

Jess sat down his guitar. "I didn't mean to wake you." He replied.

"You didn't. I've been awake all night. Can I come down?" This was the first time Rory had ever asked to enter into the basement.

"Sure." Jess turned on a couple of lamps so Rory could see the steps.

Rory walked into the lighted area. "You're music is really getting better."

"Thanks." Jess sat down on his bed and leaned up against the wall. "So how come you're still up?"

"I guess I just don't feel much like sleeping. Plus there's some leftover pizza in the fridge calling my name."

"How'd your date with Dean go?" Jess asked casually.

Impressed that Jess used his actual name instead of "Geek" or "Nerd" or "Loser", she took a seat on the bed. "It went well." She smiled. "He's a perfect gentleman, just as I suspected."

A tiny, but fake, smirk crossed Jess' face. "Good for him."

Rory put her hand on her neck. "He even gave me this necklace." She held it up for Jess to see.

Jess scowled. "So when's the wedding?"

"Jess." Rory's tone immediately changed.

"Get eat your talking pizza." Jess stood up from the bed.

Rory stood up as well. "Please don't…. not again."

"I'm not." Jess replied.

"You are… you're acting all jealous and… and…"

"And?"

"I don't know… protective, I guess." Rory frowned.

"Yeah, well, I'm not jealous… and I don't care who you date anymore."

"Then why are you kicking me out of your room?"

Jess groaned. "I'm not kicking you out. It's late… I just don't wanna talk."

"You don't want to talk about Dean?"

"Yes, I don't want to talk about Dean."

"Then why'd you bring him up?" Rory folded her arms.

"Oh, come on. Like I don't know the reason you came down here. You wanted to throw it up in my face and show off the cheap necklace he gave you." Jess turned off the lamps making the room excessively dim. "If you want to stand here in the dark, be my guest, but I'm going to bed."

Rory's anger immediately rose. "It's not a cheap necklace! Eww! Just what makes you think you're so much freaking better than Dean?!" she yelled.

Jess turned around quickly. "Because, _I _actually love you!"

The room fell eerily silent. Jess' mouth had opened way before he had time to think. He'd never planned on telling Rory that, at least not anytime soon.

"You don't mean that." Rory's soft voice replied.

Jess walked closer to the girl. "I do mean it." He answered. "But I didn't mean to tell you…"

Rory slowly backed away. "I'm sorry, Jess. I don't love you."

Jess nodded. "I know." He paused. "But things change… people change… and maybe one day…"

"No." Rory interrupted. "No… it'll never change." Rory turned and walked up the stairway closing the door behind her.

Jess had never been so embarrassed in his life. He never felt this way about a girl before and it killed him that she wouldn't even show the slightest interest back. He walked over and grabbed his guitar and violently threw it across the room smashing it into several pieces. He'd never let himself fall victim to Rory again. From now own, the ball would be in his court.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Luke and Lorelai were having an awkward, but needed, discussion about their current family position.

"I'm not saying that I want her to call me dad."

"And I'm not saying that I don't want her to call you dad." Lorelai replied. "In fact, this is something that has to be decided by Rory and personally, you and I have no control or input in it."

"Then why are we arguing?" Luke asked as he sat down beside his wife. "I don't want to argue with you."

"I don't want to argue with you either." Lorelai agreed. "It's just this family thing…. It's really hard."

"Yeah." Luke nodded. "It is."

"I'm sorry."

Luke smiled. "I'm the one who should be saying that. This whole family thing is my idea."

"It was a good idea, Luke. Remember, I want this too. And the preacher said for better or worse, right?" Lorelai asked.

"Absolutely." Luke leaned in and kissed Lorelai. "As long as we make up after every fight, I'm good."

"You know, I've always heard the best part of breaking up is the making up." Lorelai grinned sheepishly.


	38. You're Not So Great

Jess woke up the next morning even madder than when he had went to bed the night before. Suddenly, it hit him what he could do. Not only would he give Rory a good wake up call, but he'd show her to rub her new boyfriend in his face. After a quick shower, he was out the door and in search of Dean.

"Rory?" Lorelai called. "Would you like some breakfast?"

Rory slowly raised her head from her pillow. "Did Luke make it?"

"Of course."

"Then yes." Rory yawned as she leaned forward and got out of bed.

"He made it this morning before he took off to the diner. Pancakes and bacon." Lorelai replied. "I tried to get him to stay in eat but he's so damn determined to get to work on time."

"He has to be there on time, mom. Other people are expecting him to be open so they can eat too." Rory took a seat at the table.

Lorelai sat down as well, but the jumped back up. "Jess."

"What?" Rory asked confused.

"I forgot about Jess. I should see if he wants some of this."

"Mom, I'd just leave him alone until he wakes up. I'm sure he could care less about breakfast."

"Rory…" Lorelai timidly scolded.

Rory sighed. "Fine, go ahead. Don't say I didn't tell you so when he shows you his fangs."

Lorelai opened the door to the basement. "Jess? You awake? Hello?" After several seconds of no answer, she cautiously walked down the stairs. "Jess?" After reaching the bottom it was clear Jess was gone. Lorelai returned to the kitchen. "He's not down there."

Rory seemed uninterested. She continued eating as if she hadn't even heard Lorelai.

"Rory, did you hear me?" Lorelai asked.

Rory took a sip of milk. "I heard you."

"What is your problem?" Lorelai folded her arms. "Is something wrong between you and Jess?"

Here it was the perfect chance to expose Jess and tell Lorelai what a creep he truly was. She could tell Lorelai about how he wanted to go out with her and how he confessed loving her the night before.

"No." Rory replied. Well, there went her perfect chance.

"Then what it is?"

"I don't feel well. I think I'm about to start my period." Rory stood from the table. "Do we have any Midol?"

Lorelai couldn't keep from smirking. "You think I'm going to fall for that?"

"Fall for what?" Rory asked innocently.

"Rory, I know something is going on between you and Jess."

(Stars Hollow High football field)

Just as he expected Jess found Dean playing football with friends on the school field. He wasted no time walking straight up to Dean.

"Hey, Poindexter, we need to talk." Jess announced as he came closer to Dean.

Dean glanced over to see a very aggravated Jess headed towards him. "Hey, I'm gonna sit this one out." Dean replied to the boys. He walked over to the side line. "What's up? Is something wrong with Rory?"

"Yeah, there are a lot of things wrong with Rory." Jess replied bitterly. "You're one of them."

"Excuse me?" Dean asked.

"I saw the necklace you gave her. It must have taken you hours to pick it out of the fifty cent machine at Taylor's."

"What are you talking about? I spent twenty dollars on that necklace." Dean defended.

"Ooooo, twenty dollars." Jess mocked. "That doesn't even add up to pocket change for a millionaire."

Dean was obviously confused. "Look, I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Did Rory ever bother to tell you where she's really from?" Jess asked. "Has she told you anything at all about who she really is?"

"She's from here." Dean answered.

"She was born here." Jess smirked. "She lived in London almost her whole life. She just moved back here this year. Do you know who else lived in London? Her super rich great-grandmother. And guess what, great-grandma passes away, boom, Rory becomes heiress to an entire multi-million dollar fortune. You really think a twenty dollar necklace is going to impress her?"

Dean hung his head. "I didn't know she was rich." He replied softly.

"Hey, don't feel bad buddy boy…. No one is good enough for that chick. Except maybe one Prince Charles' sons."

Dead slowly nodded his head. "So she showed you the necklace?"

"Yeah." Jess replied. "Right after she took it off… she didn't want it to turn her neck green."

Jess could see Dean was becoming very upset. Looks like his job was done. Very pleased with himself, he patted Dean on the shoulder. "Don't worry, there's plenty of girls in this hick town who'd love a twenty dollar necklace. Don't waste your time on some bratty, rich kid who think she's got you wrapped around her finger."

Jess strutted back off the field. He knew it wouldn't be long till everyone in Stars Hollow would find out the truth about Rory and then she'd see just how great she actually wasn't.


	39. She Didn't Mean To Love Him

"Mom, there's nothing go on between Jess and me." Rory defended. "He's just so weird you know? I just do better if I ignore him all the time."

Lorelai shook her head. "Well, maybe you feel that way about him, but how does he feel about you?"

"What do you mean?" Rory asked, although she clearly understood her mother.

"Rory, we both know that Jess obviously has feelings for you. He's not the best at showing them, but they're still there."

Rory was in near shock. She had no idea that Lorelai was so informative of the situation between her and Jess.

"What am I supposed to do?" Rory inquired. "I've tried telling him a hundred times… he won't listen to logic or reasoning."

Lorelai sighed. "Luke and I were afraid of this… We kind of thought it might happen."

"So you're prepared for it then?" Rory asked hopefully. "There's a solution… a plan?"

"Not exactly." Lorelai replied regretfully. "If you'd like me to talk with Luke… I'm sure he could straighten things out with Jess."

"I don't want to cause Jess and Luke anymore problems."

"Well, that's…. understandable." Lorelai agreed. "But honey, we can't just ignore this."

"Eventually, he'll just stop, right? The feelings will pass on to some other girl and he'll forget about me."

"Maybe." Lorelai replied a little unsure herself. "But you know what, being mean to Jess… ignoring his feelings… pretending he's some horrible monster, none of that is going to make anything better. Jess is a part of this family now and even though things have gotten off to a rocky start, he'll be a member of this family for the rest of his life."

Rory inhaled deeply. "You're right." She smiled. "I guess I have been acting immature about everything."

"Well, it's not been the most normal circumstances." Lorelai replied. "Just put a little more effort into making it better. Okay?"

"Okay." Rory leaned across the table and hugged her mom. "I have to get going… I hear there's a new shipment of books coming in today at the bookstore and I'm hoping to make a few bargains."

"Hey, make a few bargains for me too." Lorelai called after her daughter.

Rory's trip to the bookstore proved successful. She'd found three new books that she was very excited about reading and even picked up a paperback novel she was sure Lorelai would keep by her bedside. As she walked out of the bookstore, Rory spotted Dean walking out of Taylor's market. A large smile streaked along her face as she crossed the street. She was hoping she'd "casually" bump into him today and perhaps make plans for another date.

"Hey." Rory greeted as she came closer. "What's up?"

Dean turned around and stared at Rory. His heart was still aching from the story he'd heard a few hours before.

"Hey." Dean finally replied.

"Been shopping at Taylor's?" Rory asked.

"No." Dean answered. "I was…" He lowered his eyes. "I was applying for a job."

"A job? Cool." Rory could tell something was different. Dean seemed agitated and not his usual charming self. "Well, good luck. I hope you get it."

"Thanks." Dean eyed Rory's neck and noticed that she wasn't wearing his necklace. He suddenly felt ashamed and embarrassed. "I got to go."

"Wait." Rory halted. "Um… I thought maybe…. Well, see we have a movie night at our house. If you're not busy tonight…"

"I can't." Dean replied. He turned and headed down the sidewalk.

Rory stood completely still and watched the boy walk away. What had she done? It looked as if her first crush and romance was already over and she didn't even know why.

Jess opened the door to the house. His mind had cleared a lot since the early morning and now found himself desiring a nap. Lorelai walked through the kitchen when she heard the door open.

"What on earth could you possibly be doing before 9:00 am on a Sunday morning? And don't say 5:00 am mass." Lorelai folded her arms.

"A walk." Jess replied.

"A walk?"

"Yes, a walk."

"Please, don' lie." Lorelai replied. "If you remember, I'm the only one who has ever taken your side since you've been here."

Jess rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm not lying. I took a walk to clear my head."

"Jess…"

"What?!" Jess yelled in frustration. "You think I don't have things that I need to sort out? _If you remember_, Lorelai, my mom passed away a few months ago. And I haven't laid eyes on my dad since I was in diapers! My life isn't as sweet as everyone else's in this town."

"Oh, and you think my life has been one gigantic cube of sugar?" Lorelai asked. "Trying losing _two_ mothers, Jess. Try having a kid at sixteen and the father's too irresponsible and conceited to even care. Try moving to a completely different country just to get a fresh start and then losing yet another mother figure." Lorelai's voice became higher and higher. "You're not the only one who has problems in life. Everyone… Everyone has problems, Jess." Lorelai paused. "But you know what, my life is good… I have a wonderful daughter and now I have a wonderful husband. And I know that somewhere, deep down, I have a wonderful nephew as well."

Jess' face soured. "I'm not your nephew." He said bitterly. "I'm not anything to you."

"Of course you are." Lorelai said soft, yet assertively.

The front door opened and slammed quickly. Jess and Lorelai both looked to see Rory run through the house and dash into her bedroom.

"Rory?" Lorelai asked alarmed. She immediately followed after her daughter.

Rory buried her head into her pillows. It had taken all of her strength to hold back her tears until she reached her bedroom. She couldn't figure out how it was possible to hurt so much in such a short amount of time. But what she didn't understand even more was why Dean acted the way he did.

"Rory, what's wrong?" Lorelai asked as she stepped into Rory's room. "Sweetie…"

Rory raised from the bed and wiped her eyes. "I don't think Dean likes me anymore." She sniffled.

"What?" Lorelai asked shocked. "Why?"

"I just saw him… and he acted awful. Like he couldn't even stand to look at me."

Jess walked over to Rory's door and listened. He was suddenly feeling remorse for what he had done. It wasn't as pleasing as he had expected. He had no idea that Rory actually cared that much about Dean. Suddenly, his hurt and humiliation didn't seem to compare to what Rory was feeling.

"Did he say anything? What happened?" Lorelai tried to sooth the young girl.

"I asked him to come over and watch a movie and he said no and walked away…"

"Well… that doesn't have to mean he doesn't like you anymore."

"It was the look mom." Rory sniffled again. "If you could have only seen the look on his face… he looked so angry."

"There must be a reason, sweetie…. Did you do or say something that might have came out the wrong way?"

"No." Rory pouted. "I can't think of any reason why…" Her voice began to break. "I didn't realized I liked him so much…. Why did I let myself like him so much?" Rory fell forward into Lorelai's arms.


	40. Love Me No Don't Love Me

(Luke and Lorelai's room)

"Have you tried talking to her?" Luke asked.

"We've talked." Lorelai said distantly. "As usual, nothing makes sense. What is with boys and the abrupt, illogical, romance departures? "

"Well, how long is she going to sit and her room and sob?" Luke's voice had a hint of annoyance in it.

"Till she deals with it." Lorelai replied easily. "She just had her first heartbreak."

"Heartbreak?" Luke asked nearly laughing. "It was one date… she's fifteen, how could she be suffering from heartbreak?"

"Don't act so naïve, Luke." Lorelai scolded.

"I'm not."

"You don't remember being fifteen? Loving someone?"

"Oh." He replied slowly. "You mean… you and Chris…. And…. Me and you."

"It's a pretty good example."

"Well… That was different. I mean, we were…. You were…." Luke put his hands in his back pocket. "Wow… were we really only fifteen?"

"Well, I was fifteen… you were seventeen." Lorelai smiled. "But it feels like we were older, doesn't it?" Lorelai asked as she walked closer to Luke. "You know, you never really realize how young fifteen is until the tables are turned and your kid is starting a love life."

"Yeah, it really puts it into perspective." Luke agreed. "Kind of feels too soon, actually."

"Well, we don't get to decide that." Lorelai smiled. "That's something out of our control. But we can be here when they need us… give them advice… give them space… love them."

Luke wrapped his arms around Lorelai. "I wish we'd started this years ago." He whispered.

"It's perfect the way it is now." Lorelai leaned her head against his chest. "Things have worked out for the best."

"You really think so?"

"I do." Lorelai smiled. "I'm very happy."

"Good." Luke replied proudly. "So am I."

"You know…" Lorelai began. "Jess and Rory both will be starting love lives, driving cars, graduating high school… even going to college before we even realize it."

"Scary…" Luke replied.

"Yeah, it is… but it's so beautiful to watch."

Luke leaned Lorelai away from him. "Do you think ….. well… would you like…" Luke was having trouble gathering his thoughts. He knew what he wanted to say, he just wasn't sure how to say it.

"More kids?" Lorelai asked.

Luke smirked. "Yeah."

"Do you think it's time?" she asked seriously.

"Only if you do."

"I think I do."

"You do?" A sudden burst of interest zoomed into Luke's voice.

Lorelai giggled. "We could use a little Luke jr. around the house. A little league baseball star… or a track record breaker."

"You'd want a boy?" Luke suddenly found the conversation very intriguing.

"I'd be happy with either." Lorelai gracefully replied. "What about you?"

"Either. Definitely." Luke smiled. "But, the idea of a little boy… a "Luke jr." He laughed. "That sounds really, really great."

"Well…" Lorelai lead Luke over to the bed. "Maybe…" she turned off the lamp. "We should get started."

The two snuggled into the bed together, bound and determined to bring new life into Stars Hollow.

Jess found himself still laying awake though his eyes were begging for sleep. Finally, he headed upstairs to Rory's room. He knew he wouldn't be able to get any rest until he apologized. He knocked on Rory's door.

"Who is it?" A sad voice asked.

"Jess."

"What do you want?"

"To talk."

"I don't want to talk to you."

"I know that." Jess paused. "Please, open the door."

Slowly, the door opened. Rory's eyes were red. She'd stopped crying, but was obviously still hurting.

"Look…" Jess exhaled deeply. "I'm sorry."

Rory gazed at him awkwardly. "For what?"

"For what Dean did to you today."

"No, you're not." Rory quickly spat. "I bet your thrilled. This is exactly what you've wanted for weeks."

"Yeah, it is… but seeing you upset…" Jess stare down at the floor. "I'd rather you see happy and with that moron that sad and alone."

"I'm not alone…. I have friends and family. I'll be fine." Rory ended sharply.

"Yeah, I know you will." Jess agreed. "I just…" He couldn't find the strength to come out and tell Rory what he had done. He knew she'd never forgive him if he told her what really happened. "I just, wanted to say sorry."

"Well, thanks." Rory began to close the door.

"Rory…" He quickly spat.

The door opened again.

"About what I said last night."

"Jess, please…"

"No… I … I don't know what I was thinking. I mean, I don't know why I would say something like that." Jess licked his lips. "I mean, I really like you…. But… well… I don't… you know."

Rory could see the boy's constant struggle with is words. "Love me?"

"Yeah." Jess replied shortly.

"We'll learn to love each other as cousins, Jess. It may take a while, but I'm sure it'll eventually work out. You'll see."

"Yeah. You're totally right." Jess nodded. "Good night." He slowly turned away and walked back down into the basement.

Rory shut her door and turned off the light. She crawled into bed and began thinking of all the things that had happened since her mom and Luke had gotten married. Lorelai had always said Stars Hollow was a boring, but exciting little town. Rory never completely understood how that could be possible until now.


	41. I Deserve My Truth

A few days later at Stars Hollow High. Rory was in deep thought as she sat at the lunch table.

Lane sat down beside Rory. "I know why Dean stopped talking to you."

Rory's eyes widened. "Why?"

"Well, the rumor around school is, Jess went up and talked to him a few days ago."

"What!?" Rory nearly jumped out of her skin. "What did he say?"

Lane had a strange look on her face as she continued. "He told Dean that you were a rich spoiled girl who was going to inherit an entire fortune in a few years from your great-grandmother in London. He also made Dean feel like the necklace he bought you was crap, and that you felt it was unworthy to wear. Apparently, Dean got his feelings hurt pretty bad and he's really embarrassed about it."

"Oh, my God!" Rory spat. "How could he do that? Better yet, how could Dean believe it?"

"So, you don't have a rich great-grandmother in London?" Lane asked.

"Well… I did. She passed away. But I'm not getting anything. My mom and I moved here…. You know that. And I am _not _a spoiled rich girl. I mean, we have money, but we don't consider ourselves better or anything… we don't even think about it!" Rory was clearly very overwhelmed. "That jerk!"

"Where did he get that from?"

Rory shrugged. "I guess he's made it all up. Luke probably told him that Trix was rich and he's just added crap to it…" She sighed. "No wonder Dean acted so strange…"

"You've got to explain to Dean." Lane replied.

"Ew! I could kill him!" Rory grouched. "He's so…. So….. Ew!" She grabbed her books from the table.

"Where are you going?" Lane asked.

"I have to talk to Luke and mom. This has got to stop."

"Rory, it's lunch time… you can't just walk off campus." Lane objected.

"Watch me." Rory replied as she took off. Within a few minutes she was at the inn.

"Rory!" Mia expressed. "How wonderful to see you."

"Hi, Mia… I'm sorry to be short and rude, but is my mom around?" Rory asked.

"I'm afraid not, sweetheart. It's lunch time." Mia smiled.

"The diner." Rory replied.

"But of course.

"I'll stop by again soon for a real visit." Rory promised.

"Is everything alright?" Mia asked becoming concerned.

"It will be soon." Rory remarked as she turned and left.

(The diner)

Luke leaned across the counter. "So, I was thinking…"

"Uh-oh…" Lorelai smiled.

"Maybe we could start round two tonight?"

"Think you got it in ya, champ?" Lorelai teased.

"I've been training my whole life this." Luke cleverly replied.

The door to the diner swung open. "Mom!" Rory roared.

Lorelai, abruptly turned around in her seat. "Rory? Why aren't you in school?"

"I need to talk to you." Rory replied in a lower voice as she came closer to her mother. "Both of you." She eyed Luke.

"What's going on?" Luke asked.

"Can we talk somewhere a little more private please?"

"Sure." Luke replied. "We can go up to the old apartment…"

"Rory, what is this about?" Lorelai asked before budging from her seat.

"In the apartment." Rory replied as she headed upstairs. Luke and Lorelai followed.

As they all entered through the doorway, Rory whisked herself around to face them.

"I've tried to deal with this on my own, but it's not working."

"What's not working?" Luke asked.

"Jess!" Rory blasted. "He's not going to stop until he ruins my life!"

Luke's mouth stiffened. "What did he do?"

"Rory…" Lorelai began. "Sweetie, why don't we talk about this later."

"He lied to Dean. He's the reason Dean acted the way he did." Rory folded her arms. "He's liked me the whole time, Luke."

"He's what?"

"He wants to go out with me. He even told me he loved me… it's driving me crazy! I can't take it anymore. I keep telling him now and to stop and but he's so damn stupid!"

Luke's mouth gaped. He glanced over at Lorelai who had a similar look of shock on her face.

"Did you know about this?" Luke directed to Lorelai.

Lorelai stammered. "Well, I… I kind of knew some… I had no idea he said anything to Dean or that he told Rory he loved her." Lorelai looked back at Rory. "Why would he tell you that?"

Rory huffed. "I have no idea. But he's ruined my relationship Dean." Tears began to whelm in Rory's eyes. "He told Dean that I was a spoiled rich girl from London. That my great-grandmother had left me a fortune… He made Dean think he wasn't good enough for me."

"How did he know about that?" Luke asked in complete surprise.

"Ah." Lorelai stuttered. "Luke…" She shook her head.

"What do you mean?" Rory asked.

"Um. Nothing." Luke replied, realizing his slip up. "Don't worry, Rory. I'll get this whole thing straightened out with Jess."

"Luke, what did you mean?" Rory persisted.

"You know, I bet the people down in the diner are really wondering where you went…" Lorelai replied.

"Yeah, yeah… I bet they are." Luke agreed. "I'd better get back down there and... you know… be … there." Luke quickly walked out of the door.

"Mom…" Rory gazed at her mother for sever seconds. "What's going on?"


	42. What Are You Holding On To?

Lorelai closed the door behind Luke. She sighed and turned back to face her daughter.

"Rory, I wanted to wait till you were older, but…" Lorelai paused.

"But what?" Rory asked impatiently.

"Remember the day that I went to talk to Trix's lawyer?"

"Yeah."

Lorelai gazed down at the floor. "Well, he… he told me something that's kind of a hard to believe." Lorelai's eyes rose back to Rory. "Trix loved you very much, sweetie. So much in fact, she's left her entire estate to you."

Rory's face froze. "Entire estate?"

"House… cars… property… money." Lorelai walked over beside her daughter. "You're supposed to inherit it all when you turn 21."

"Why didn't you tell me any of this sooner?" Rory asked calmly.

"I wanted to wait till you were ready. I didn't see a point in placing such a heavy weight on your shoulders until an appropriate time."

"How did he find out… Jess…. How could he possibly know this?"

"I have no idea." Lorelai honestly replied.

"You should have told me… I should've already known. I mean, kids at school found out before I did."

"Maybe, I should have." Lorelai nodded her head. "Maybe not. It doesn't matter now…"

"I'm so tired of all of this." Rory replied as she sat down in a chair. "Everyone is always in everybody's business… Jess has screwed things up so much, that I'm tired of being mad at him… I can't even put forth an effort to be more mad."

"Jess has a lot of problems, Rory. He's never had a good home life. He doesn't understand the family thing."

"Well, he could try using some common human decency every now and then. Everything is just a mess… I hate bad beginnings."

Lorelai sat down beside Rory. "Well, I'm sorry to tell you that this is only the beginning of your bad beginnings. Life is full of them."

"How optimistic of you." Rory remarked.

"Realistic is a better term." Lorelai countered. "Believe me, there are thousands of good beginnings too. You have to take the bad with the good… bitter with the sweet… rain with the shine."

"I get it."

"Not now, I'm on a roll…. Ups with the downs… Smiles with the frowns…"

"Mom."

"Okay… stopping."

"I'm not mad at you for not telling me… I just… I wish I'd known is all."

Lorelai smiled. "Well, In a way, I'm glad you know now."

"So, anything else I should know about before it pops up unexpectedly?" Rory asked.

"We're for good for now."

"Okay… So… I think I'm gonna find Dean… try explaining all of this to him. I hope he cares enough to listen."

"I think that's a good idea. I'll try explaining to Luke… although, I'm sure he'd prefer to just go own as if nothing happened at all."

"Do you think he'll come down hard on Jess?"

Lorelai pondered for a moment. "You know, this time… yeah. I think Jess is in some pretty hot water."

"You know…" Rory began. "It's ironic… He's done all these bad things and things that have caused me problems, and yet I..." She stopped.

"You what?"

"I kind of understand."

"Insightful..." Lorelai commented.

"It just kind of hit me." Rory replied. "All he really wants is someone nice and smart and funny… someone who doesn't have a lot of problems like he does. Someone to balance him out. It's not his fault that he thought I could be that someone."

"You know, sweetie, under any other circumstances, I would say you were right, but Jess has to realize that you two are part of the same family. He can't have those feelings..."

"I'm sure if Jess could get rid of the feelings he would…"

"How do you know he's even tried?" Lorelai asked. "How do you know he's not still holding on, hoping that one day you'll feel the same?"

"I already told him, I'd never feel that way. It's impossible. It'd never happen." Rory stood from her chair. "You almost have to admire it though…"

"Admire what?"

"His tenacity…" Rory inhaled. "I'm going to find Dean now. I'll see you this evening."


	43. One Way Ticket

"Dean, I swear I didn't know…"

"Rory… come on, how can you not know you're a millionaire?" Dean bitterly replied as he continued to walk down the street."

"I'm not a millionaire… at least not yet anyway. Not until I turn 21." Rory stepped in front of him. "Please, you have to believe me… Jess was just talking crap."

"Really? Where's your necklace?" Dean asked.

"Oh! I can explain that." Rory replied quickly. "I had taken off the night before… I can't stand to sleep with a necklace on, it feels like I'm chocking. I'd just forgot to put it back on the next morning…"

"That's it? You forgot?"

Rory sensed Dean wasn't going to be very forgiving. "I'm really sorry. I'm not used to wearing a lot of jewelry. I didn't do it on purpose. I love the necklace. I'd be wearing right now if … well…" She gazed down at the ground.

"So, let me get this straight… Jess is lying, but he knew you had an entire fortune coming to you before you did… you just found out today… from your mom…"

"Right. I know it sounds so crazy…"

"Yeah, it does." Dean stepped around Rory and headed back down the sidewalk.

"Dean…" Rory called.

He glanced back. "I don't need anymore pointless drama in my life. Just leave me alone. I've got to get to work."

(Gilmore House)

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Jesus, would you lay off…" Jess snapped back.

"No. I will not lay off." Luke replied.

"I didn't lie." Jess pointed out.

"You didn't tell the whole truth either. But that's not the point… What you did was wrong… It was selfish and conniving. Not to mention, you shouldn't even be thinking of Rory that way!"

"Why?" Jess asked calmly. "Cause she's my _cousin_?"

"That's a good place to start. Not to mention you're living in the same house as she is…"

"You know what this is? This is Brady Bunch bull shit. I'm not her cousin… I'm not anything to her…. And that can go more than one way."

"Thank God for the fact that she has enough sense to realize how stupid this whole thing is."

"Stupid?" Jess questioned. "How can you blame me for falling for her? She's just like Lorelai." Luke was quiet for several seconds. He had never considered this thought. "If you and Lorelai had never gotten married, I'd still be into Rory. I'm not doing it to cause problems or to be "stupid". I really care about her."

"If you really cared about her, Jess… you wouldn't have told those things to Dean. Rory didn't even know about Trix's estate." Luke sighed. "You need to apologize to her."

"Why bother? She already hates my guts."

"She doesn't hate your guts… she _should_… but she doesn't."

"Luke, I never meant for things to get so screwed up around here. I …. I just. I've never wanted anything more in my life. It drives me crazy that I'm right here everyday, this close to her, and I can't have her." Jess hung his head.

"You really care that much about her?" Luke asked his voice sounding genuinely sincere.

"Yeah." Jess answered shortly. "I do. What's the use, though? Everyone would rather see her have a relationship with Charles Manson than me."

"It just looks bad, Jess. I mean I know you aren't really family. You've only known each other a few months… but it still looks bad."

Jess nodded his head. "Yeah, I get it."

"You're grounded for a month. During that month, you're going to do all the extra work around here, and you can spend your weekends helping out at the diner."

"Why not? It's not like I have a social life anyway."

Luke ignored the comment. "When Rory gets home… apologize." He turned and walked upstairs.

Jess sighed heavily and fell back onto his bed. It could have been worse. At least Luke seemed to kind of understand. Jess barely understood himself. Why _would _he cause pain to the one person who he thought the world of?

Upstairs, Lorelai and Luke were sitting at the kitchen table.

"Maybe, I should have came down harder on him."

"I wish I understood how all of this happened." Lorelai replied as she took a sip of coffee.

"He just ended up falling for her." Luke answered. "He didn't mean to."

"You think he'd be over it by now."

"Well, he really cares… it's not something easy to get over. Besides, it is hard to blame him."

Lorelai sat down her cup. "Hard to blame him?"

"Rory's beautiful… she's smart and funny. If I was 15, I'd be in love too." Luke smirked. "She's so much like you… It's easy to see why Jess fell for her."

"Are you saying you approve of this?" Lorelai asked, un-amused by his comparison.

Luke's smirk quickly vanished. "No… No, of course not. I'm just saying I could see how it happened. I mean, they're not really family…"

"That's not the point." Lorelai replied.

Suddenly, the kitchen door swung open. Luke and Lorelai both stopped their conversation and glanced up to see Rory storming into the kitchen.

"I want to change schools." Rory demanded.

"What?" Lorelai asked.

"I hate Stars Hollow High. I want to leave."

"Rory, I'm not fond of these busting through the door moments where you yell out demands and expect us all to follow…"

"I need to start over." Rory replied in a calmer voice. "I want to be in a different school than Jess. I want to be in a school where they won't ridicule me for having an fortune left in my name. I want to go to a school where being smart is more important than being pretty and popular."

"And where did you have in mind?" Lorelai asked.

"Prep school." Rory answered as she threw a pamphlet onto the table. "I found the pamphlet at a book fair a couple of weeks ago. It's perfect for me."

"Chilton Academy." Luke read. "It's in Hartford…"

"I'm guessing Dean wasn't too understanding." Lorelai picked up the pamphlet. "I went to a school like this… I hated it."

"Well, I'm not like you." Rory remarked.

Lorelai glanced up at Rory. "Yes, you are… you're exactly like me. I wanted to start over and get a new life so many times that I forgot who I really was. I hated prep school, I wanted to go to a public school, I figured I'd fit in there."

"And you did." Rory reminded.

Lorelai sighed. "Alright, it's fine with me. It's probably for the best right now anyway."

"Don't you have to apply to go to these schools?" Luke asked. "And tuition…"

"Rory can get in." Lorelai assured. "She's exactly the kind of student they'd want. And tuition wont be a problem."

Luke suddenly felt as if his opinion didn't matter. Obviously, Lorelai controlled all the rules and decisions for Rory.

"Okay, well… Great." Luke replied. "I think I'll head down to the diner and unload some of the stock. It'll save me some time in the morning." Luke stood from the table. "I'll be home in a couple of hours." He gently kissed Lorelai on the cheek.

"Did he kill Jess?" Rory asked as she sat down beside her mother.

"No more than usual." Lorelai replied. "I figured he was a sitting duck this time, but I think Luke is becoming a softy in his old age."

Rory grabbed the pamphlet again. "This is my ticket out…" she said as she opened the first page. "Plus, it'll up my chances of going to law school. We should've though of this sooner."


	44. One Of These Days You're Gonna Love Me

Later that evening, Jess knocked on Rory's door.

"Come in." she replied.

Jess slowly opened the door. "Hey…" he said softly.

Rory turned around. "Hey."

"Look, I know I'm the last person you want to see…"

"You can come in, Jess." Rory said as she turned around in her seat to face him.

Jess slowly walked into the room and took a seat on Rory's bed. "Rory…. I.."

"I know Luke is making you apologize so…"

"No." Jess quickly interrupted. "Well… yes, but… I wouldn't actually come do it if I didn't want to myself. I am sorry. I don't know what come over me… I guess, I'm just used to doing whatever it takes to get what I want and not considering other people's feelings… Rory, I don't want to hurt you. Ever."

Rory inhaled deeply. "You know, I'm really not innocent in any of this either. I've treated you like crap pretty much from day one."

"It's not your fault. I gave you reasons to treat me like crap."

"I wish we'd gotten off to a better start." Rory stood from her chair. "Being mad all the time sucks."

"Yeah… it does." Jess smiled.

Rory walked over to her night stand and picked up the pamphlet, she turned and handed it to Jess.

"I'm transferring schools." She stated simply.

Jess took the pamphlet. "Prep school... Not surprising." He added. "You belong in a place like this." He smirked.

"I think so too." Rory agreed. She sat down on the bed beside him.

"Well, now we won't collide so often will we? If we could only work out a schedule for the bathroom and when to leave and exit the house, we'd never have to put up with each other again."

"Jess, I don't want it to be that way." Rory replied seriously.

"I figured you'd hate me after the trick I pulled with Dean."

"I tried explaining things to Dean…" Rory's eyes drifted away. "He wouldn't believe me… he didn't even try to understand."

"Well, I could tell him if you want…"

"It wouldn't matter. He's not interested."

Jess nodded. "Some guys are idiots. It's his loss."

"Yeah." Rory smiled. "I should be focusing more on academics anyway… dating can be a huge distraction."

"Not if you're with the right person." Jess replied. "Sometimes, not being with someone can be more of a distraction."

"That's true, I suppose."

"Rory…" Jess' tone became serious. "Can I ask you a question and you'll give me an honest answer?"

"What?" Rory asked a little skeptical.

"Promise you'll tell the truth… no tricks or games or avoiding the answer."

"I promise." Rory agreed.

"If things weren't like they are now… if Luke and your mom never got married… would I have had a chance?"

Rory figured this question was coming. She could see the sincerity in Jess' eyes that he really wanted to know.

"Yeah." She finally replied. "I think you would have... one day. You're smart and funny and …. I could see us really getting along if we'd just gotten off to a better start."

"I think you're the most incredible girl I've ever met in my life. You're so much different from everyone else."

"I've not met too many guys like you either." Rory smiled.

Jess grinned. "Well, I try." He laughed lightly.

"Don't worry. You're going to find someone." Rory assured.

"See… that's the biggest difference between you and me." Jess replied as he stood from the bed. "You think that I'm going to find someone… and I think I've already found her. But I guess only time can tell, huh?" Jess slowly walked towards the door.

Rory stood from her bed and followed him. "I wish it was less complicated…I really do."

Jess turned. "So do I." he gazed deeply into her eyes.

"If only things weren't so…. So…."

"Complicated?"

"I was leaning more towards complex, but I guess we can go with complicated again." Rory laughed.

Jess immediately smiled. "Miss technicality… it's the same thing. Close enough anyway."

"Not true… completely different meanings, only similar to the untrained human mind." Rory teased.

"Oh, so now I'm untrained? I'll add that to the list of other adjectives that suit me so well, like… what was it… ogre?"

Rory laughed. "I had forgotten about that."

"I didn't… scared for me weeks. Still discussing it in my therapy meetings." Jess replied jokingly.

"Seems pretty immature now." Rory noted.

"Yeah, well… like you said, we didn't really get off to the best start."

"You're not an ogre." Rory sweetly added.

"And you're not a spoiled rich girl." Jess returned. "_Yet_."

"At least someone believes me…"

Jess slowly leaned forward until his face was only inches away from Rory's. He could feel her warm breath on his cheek. "I'm really sorry…" he whispered.

"So am I." Rory repeated in the same low voice. Her eyes gently closed. When she opened them again, Jess was gone.


	45. Take My Hand

A few weeks went by. Rory and Jess had spent more time together and actually enjoying each other's company rather than trying to destroy each other's lives. Christmas was surprisingly pleasant for the new family, but there was still no denying that Jess had strong romantic feelings for Rory. What made the ordeal more interesting was that every now and then, Rory would let her defenses fall to the ground, and Jess could see that the romantic feelings were mutual. Rory would never admit to it of course. Rory had everything taken care of for Chilton and would be starting the following semester which was only a few days away. Lorelai had taken three pregnancy tests in the last five weeks and to her and Luke's disappointment, they never turned out positive.

"I don't understand. We've been trying for weeks." Luke fell backwards onto the bed. "How could we possibly be doing this wrong?"

Lorelai laughed. "We're not doing anything wrong."

"Hey." Luke sat up from the bed. "How long did it take before you were pregnant with Rory?"

"What?" Lorelai asked, clearly caught off guard.

"You know… how many times had you… you know."

"Oh." Lorelai smiled. "Gee… umm… I didn't actually count."

"Ball park figure…" Luke replied seriously.

"Well, we'd been having sex for about six months or so." Lorelai sat down on the bed beside him.

"Six months?" Luke stressed.

"That doesn't mean it'll take that long again." Lorelai included.

"Is it stupid that I though it'd happen immediately… first time?"

"No. It's not stupid." Lorelai smiled as she wrapped her arms around her husband. "It's incredibly sweet."

"I just want us to have a kid of our own, you know? One that we can raise together."

"I know."

"We can make rules and decisions together… be real parents."

"Luke, we are real parents. I mean I know Jess and Rory aren't babies, but they still need us quite a bit. We still serve somewhat of a purpose."

"Yeah, but it's just not the same." Luke shook his head.

"Don't worry… it'll happen when it's supposed to happen." Lorelai smiled.

"But it _is_ supposed to happen?" Luke asked.

"Of course it is."

(Outside)

Jess and Rory were sitting on the porch steps.

"I love the snow." Rory inhaled deeply. "It makes everything so peaceful."

"Didn't see much of it back in LA." Jess replied.

"Do you miss, LA?"

Jess glanced over at Rory. "No… not anymore."

"But you used to?"

"Kind of… when I first came here." Jess smiled. "But that soon changed."

"I couldn't imagine packing up and leaving Stars Hollow…. Or losing my mom."

"It's not something I'd recommend." Jess replied.

Rory scooted a little closer to Jess. "Your mom would be really proud of you…"

"No she wouldn't." Jess shrugged.

"Yes, she would." Rory repeated.

"My mom never cared about me or what I was doing… just as long as I was out of her hair she was happy."

Rory put her hand on Jess' shoulder. "Well, nevertheless, I'm proud of you. And I know Luke and mom are too."

Jess smiled. "Are you going to bring up my grades again?"

"Well, bringing a 1.5 GPA up to a 3.0 is something worth bragging about." Rory cheerfully remarked. "I knew you were never as dumb as you pretended to be. You can actually start thinking about college now."

"Nah… college isn't for me. I'm more of a fly by the seat of your pants kind of person."

Rory giggled. "Hardly… I could see you being an English major… a novelist even."

Jess loved having someone tell him he could be somebody. It was a feeling he wasn't very used to, be welcomed every chance he got.

"We'll see." Jess finally replied. "No promises."

Rory's hand slowly slid down from Jess' shoulder and all the way down his arm. Almost simultaneously the two interlocked hands. Jess suddenly felt his heart began to race as he could feel the bond between them burst with power. Rory gently squeezed his hand. Jess leaned forward across the porch step and touched Rory's face with his other hand. Her eyes batted back and forth wildly. Jess knew this was his moment. He licked his lips and moved in. Their lips met and didn't separate for several seconds. When their passionate kiss was over, Rory was the first to pull away. She was very pale and looked as if she had just seen a ghost.

"Rory?" Jess asked concerned. "Are you okay?"

Rory touched her warm lips. "Oh, God…"

"Whoa..." Jess immediately stood up. "No… No… Don't say that!"

"Jess…" Rory's voice was full of remorse.

"Rory, please." Jess pleaded. "Come on, you know that meant something… you know that this is something we both want."

How could Rory do this? How could she let herself cross the line that was never to be crossed.

"Mom… Luke…" Rory stammered.

"They don't have to know." Jess took Rory's hand again. "No one has to know."

Rory removed her hand from Jess'. "I want to Jess… more than anything, but we can't."

"Why?!" Jess' voice sounded as if it was about to shatter into a thousand pieces.

"It's inappropriate... and wrong." Rory replied. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" Rory began backing away and soon she had dashed up the steps and into the house.

"Why do you always run?!" Just yelled after her, but the only response he got was the door slamming shut.


	46. Let's Just Be

Later that evening, Rory walked down into the basement. Jess had saved up some money, enough to buy him a cheap guitar so that he could go back to writing music. It didn't sound as good as the other guitar, but it'd do for now.

"Hey…" Rory replied softly as her foot reached the last step.

Jess looked up from his pen and paper. "Hey."

"You must think I'm horrible…" Rory began.

"I've came to the conclusion both of us have running away issues." Jess easily replied. "I knew you'd come back when you were ready."

"Are you writing?" Rory took a seat on the bed.

"Yeah." Jess smirked. "Want to hear?"

"Sure."

Jess grabbed his guitar and began to strum long, low, chords. The guitar began to serenade the young girl.

What I don't know

Is if you're ready

What you don't know

Is if I'm willing to conform

What we don't know

Is if we have the power

But what they don't know

Baby, won't hurt 'em

Let's take things slow

And just move along

Got no place to go

And our nights are long

And while they sleep

Without hearing a peep

Our love can grow strong

Let's not talk about

Wrong and right

Let's just sit here

In the pale moonlight

You can tell me stories

Of your home far away

And I'll bring back memories

From dear ole LA

Oh, let's just be

You and me

And see where we go from there

Make it less _complicated _

And get more fixated

On the happiness that we can share

Both Jess and Rory were smiley widely after the last verse. Jess let the guitar sing along for a few moments, and then cleared his throat to come in with the last lines.

I'll be your friend

Your companion till the end

And You'll never have to doubt

I'm willing to wait

As long as it takes

For you to figure it out

Let's not talk about

Wrong and right

Let's just sit here

In the pale moonlight

You can tell me stories

Of your home far away

And I'll bring back memories

From dear ole LA….

Jess removed the guitar from his lap. "What do you think?"

"I think that's the best song I've ever heard in my life." Rory grinned.

"Aw, you're just saying that." Jess teased.

"No, I'm not." Rory replied. "It's incredible. I love it. You're so talented."

"Well, I have good inspiration." Jess smiled. He moved from his chair to the bed where Rory was sitting. "There's a nice full moon tonight. Want to tell me about London?" Jess propped a pillow behind his back.

"What do you want to know?" Rory leaned back beside Jess.

"Everything." Jess replied. "Start from the beginning."

"Well, the farthest back I can remember is when I was four and my mom wanted to take me school shopping. I'd been sick, and Trix had insisted that I stay in for a few more days. Mom was determined to break me out of the house though, so we actually ended up sneaking out 6:00 am one morning. We didn't come back till late that evening. Trix was so mad, but she couldn't help but give mom props for sneaking out in such a conniving manner.." Rory smiled.

Jess put his arm around Rory. "Alright, what's your second memory?"


	47. Babble On

Luke's face stiffened completely and his eyes glazed over. Lorelai and he had agreed to come see a doctor, but it was supposed to be for advice, not this.

"Mr. Danes. I'm very sorry, but keep in mind there are other options." The doctor noted.

"Other options?" Luke asked barely above a whisper.

"Well, for example, we could artificially inseminate your wife and…"

Luke held up his hand. "I don't think so doc…. She's already got a kid by another man."

"Luke." Lorelai replied obviously offended. She hadn't enjoyed hearing the news either, but there was no point in being rude and offensive.

"Mr. Danes, I don't know what else to tell you. If you're insistent upon having a child you'll either have to have your wife artificially inseminated or consider adoption."

"You know, I think we're done here." Luke quickly stood up from the chair. "Come on, Lorelai."

"Luke, he's just trying to help us."

"Help us? The man just told me I can never reproduce… I'm shooting blanks!"

"That's not his fault." Lorelai countered a bit embarrassed by her husband's actions.

Luke rubbed his hands over his face. "I'm leaving. You can sit here and listen to this crap if you want to, I'm going home." Luke turned and left the office.

"Doesn't take bad news well, does he?" The doctor asked.

"He'll come around. He just needs time to process all of this. Thank you doctor… really." Lorelai stood from her chair and made a much more graceful exit.

(Chilton)

Stanton, the senior class president escorted Rory down the hallway. They came up beside a tall blonde haired boy.

"Hey, we have a new girl." Stanton smiled. Tristan turned around his gaze landed upon Rory.

"Well, hello." Tristan smirked.

"Hi." Rory replied.

Stanton introduced the two students. "Rory, this is Tristan. He is the freshman class president, he can take care of you from here. Be sure Ms. Gilmore finds her away around." Stanton directed to Tristan.

"Sure thing." Tristan replied. "Want me to carry your books?"

Rory gripped her books tighter. "It's okay. I've got them."

"Okay, where's your first class?"

"Algebra 2. Mr. Barkley." Rory answered.

"No sweat. He's just right across the hall, room 132." Tristan pointed. "Have you been to your locker yet?"

"No."

"I figured. I didn't think you were carry all those books around for exercise. What's your locker number?"

"11." Rory replied as she handed Tristan a piece of paper.

Tristan laughed. "What a coincidence. My locker is number 10. Follow me."

He lead Rory over to her locker, zipped through he combination and popped the locker open.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to memorize your combination or anything." Tristan felt the need to point that out to the shy girl.

"Oh, I didn't think you would." Rory replied a little nervous.

"You don't have to be so worried about Chilton. I can already tell your going to fit in."

"How did you know I was worried?"

"Body language… facial expressions… your shyness… the fact you've not spoken more than ten words in five minutes."

"I guess I am a little nervous."

"Tell you what, I'll meet up with you after every class and guide you to the next."

"Oh, you don't have to… I'm sure I can make do."

"Okay, well… would it be alright if I did it because I wanted to then?" Tristan asked sincerely. "We could sit together at lunch if you'd like… I could introduce you to some friends."

Rory eyed the boy over several times. His deep blue eyes, his gorgeous blond hair, he seemed way out of Rory's league.

"Sure. If you want to… but only if you want to… you don't have to … not that I don't want you to." Rory abruptly hushed realizing she was babbling.

Tristan found the new girl adorable. "Okay, see you after Algebra."


	48. Pillow Talk

Later that evening:

Rory was in her room studying and doing homework. She hadn't thought about how much make up work she'd have and how much farther advanced her new school would be. She had heard Luke and her mom arguing earlier in the evening, but she couldn't exactly make out what they were saying. It was something along the lines of Luke not being able to have the family that he wanted. Rory didn't really understand what he meant by this. She was pretty sure she hadn't done anything wrong. Her and Jess were getting along better than ever and hadn't said a mean word to each other in months.

She tried to not think too much about it, she was sure it didn't concern her and that Lorelai and Luke would work it out eventually. Suddenly, there was a knock on Rory's door. She closed her book and walked over to answer it. As soon as the door opened, Jess handed her a box.

"What's this?" Rory asked surprised.

"A gift." Jess replied as he stepped into the bedroom.

"You got me a gift? Why?"

"For your first day of Chilton." Jess closed the door behind him. "I wanted to give it to you this morning, but you left extremely early."

"I didn't want to be late." Rory smiled.

"Of course not. Open it."

Rory unlatched the box. "Oh, Jess… it's beautiful." Rory pulled out a stunning silver ballpoint pen.

"I figure you'll be wanting to do a lot of political writing… therefore, you'll need the proper utensils."

Rory removed it from the box. "It's heavy."

Jess laughed lightly. "It can also function as a paperweight."

"This must have cost a whole month's allowance." Rory noted.

"Roughly." Jess replied. "But, I wanted you to have it."

"Thank you." Rory wrapped her arms around Jess' neck. "I'll use it tonight." She added. She sat the pen down on her desk. "Hey, did you hear mom and Luke arguing earlier?"

"Lorelai and Luke never argue." Jess replied almost in laughter.

"Well, they were tonight." Rory stood firm. "Luke's upset over something."

"What's there to be upset over?"

"I'm not sure…" Rory sighed. "Something about he can't have the family he's always wanted."

"Huh…" Jess stood dumbfounded. "Things have been going great for months."

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Rory agreed. "I guess we're being left out on something."

"I don't think he's talking about us." Jess added. "If you've noticed, they've barely looked our way in weeks."

"I have noticed." Rory lowered her head. "Mom and I haven't spent time together in a while…"

A large smile crossed his face. "Well, you _do_ know they're trying to have a baby, right?"

Rory's eyes bulged. "What? How do you know that?"

"Common sense." Jess smirked. "They're going to bed earlier of the nights… not paying any attention to us… they even made a doctor's appointment for this morning."

Rory was amazed at Jess' attention skills. "If you only paid that much attention in school."

"Hey, I'm working on that." Jess defended. "Remember my 3.0?"

"That must be it…" Rory concluded. "They're having trouble with… well… you know."

"Conceiving?" Jess asked.

"Yeah." Rory replied a mildly grossed out manner.

"Makes sense. They're newlyweds. They want kids of their own."

Rory sat down on her bed. "I guess…"

"What, you don't want a little brother or sister?"

"Well, sure… I mean, one day."

"Just not now?" Jess sat down beside her.

"Well, I kind of like things just the way they are. A baby would change things."

"No. A baby would make them happier than ever." Jess replied. "We're not kids, anymore, Rory. We're teenagers. Luke and your mom want a little baby to play with and raise and do all the typical kid stuff with."

"I get that." Rory replied. "I just… I didn't think mom would ever really have another kid… at least not until I was like in college or something."

Jess cocked his head to one side. "You're jealous."

"No, I'm not." Rory quickly defended.

"You are." Jess continued. "You're jealous of a baby that's not even conceived yet."

"Stop saying that word." Rory scolded.

Jess laughed. "Sorry."

"It's all just… it's a big change. Something I wasn't prepared for." Rory finalized.

(Upstairs)

"I can't figure out what I did to deserve this." Luke groaned.

"Luke, can we please not go over this again." Lorelai begged.

"I've been a good guy my whole life. No drugs, no cigarettes, sure I had the occasional drink every now and then, who doesn't?"

"Luke…"

"I've never asked anything from anyone, and the one time that I really want something, I mean really have my heart set on something, this is what I get!"

"Luke, stop!" Lorelai's sharp yell echoed throughout the upstairs. "Enough of this ranting."

Luke stared at the woman. "How can you expect me to just be okay with this? I'll never be able to have kids, Lorelai. Never."

"Luke, you have kids… Two of them! Or do they not count?" Lorelai folded her arms.

"Of course they count." Luke replied. "I just wanted my own kid… my flesh… my blood."

"Blood doesn't make you a family, Luke."

"Oh, God." Luke sat down on the bed and rested his head on his hand. "Not this again."

"Excuse me?"

"Look, I know the story… your real mom and your real dad and Richard and Emily and Trix and… la la la … Well, that's fine for you Lorelai, that all just works out swell for you."

Lorelai had tried to remain calm and give Luke his space. She understood that this was a lot to deal with, she knew how much he had wanted more children. However, he wasn't making anything better by being a jerk.

"Luke, there are other options and they are our only options now. So, the sooner you get over this and get ready to move on, the better. Until then, I'll be downstairs. If you're not over it in a couple of hours, then I'll see you in the morning, but for now, I'm done with this and I'm done with this conversation."

Lorelai grabbed a pillow and blanket from the bedroom closet and headed downstairs.


	49. Drive Me Crazy

_A/N: If You haven't seen my profile page, then I'll take this time to tell you that July Rain II is about to come to an end. I'm almost positive that I'm going to write a July Rain III however. I may not write it for a while, though. I have another story line I'm wanting to get started on. Anyway, if you think this story ends kind of on a cliff hanger, it's because I'm leaving room for the third part. Lol Enjoy. _

(Chilton – A few days later)

"Rory!" Tristan called from down the hallway. "Hey!" Rory slowed her pace so Tristan could catch up. "How are you classes going?" he asked as he came up beside her.

"Good. I'm almost caught up." She smiled.

"Already? Wow…" Tristan replied. "Paris better watch out, her valedictorian spot could be threatened."

"Paris?" Rory asked, unfamiliar with the name.

"Paris Gellar." Tristan replied. "Blonde haired girl… snobby… hateful."

"I don't think I've met her."

"Consider yourself lucky." Tristan joked. "You'll meet her soon enough, I'm sure. She's been out of school this week with the flu. Louise has taken her all of her assignments though, she'd die before she'd miss any school work. Personally, I'd revel in a week off from school and wouldn't be bothered with assignments."

"Well, it's good that she cares that much about school." Rory answered.

"Yeah, but Paris takes it to an insanely creepy level. You'll see what I mean when you meet her." Tristan and Rory walked outside of the school. "So, you take the bus home everyday?"

"Yeah. I live about forty-five minutes from here." Rory answered.

"Oh, that must get pretty lonesome…"

"I don't mind it. It gives me a chance to read and study."

"Well, how about today you take a different type of transportation home?"

"Like what?" Rory asked.

Tristan walked over to his car. "I'll give you a ride. Hope in."

"You have a car?" Rory was astonished.

"Yeah." Tristan answered amused. "What's so strange about that?"

"You're a freshman…" Rory remarked.

"So?"

"So, how can you already have your license?"

Tristan smiled. "Okay, I guess you get to find out a little secret now."

"What, you drive illegally?"

"No." Tristan chuckled. "I'm sixteen. I started school when I was six instead of five. My parents tried to home school me my first year… it didn't exactly work out too well. The following year, they popped me into kindergarten." He opened the door to his car. "Come on, I promise I'm a safe driver."

Rory knew she should probably take the bus, but she'd never rode in a car with a friend before. Especially not a cute sixteen year old male friend. She gladly got into the car and immediately locked her seatbelt.

(Gilmore House)

"Okay, so it's settled then… we'll adopt." Lorelai confirmed.

"Yeah, I guess it's our best option." Luke replied, though he was truly still disappointed.

"The bright side is, we can look for a newborn." Lorelai continued. "It'd be so close to the same thing, it wouldn't matter. I know we'll learn to love it just as much as if it were our own."

"These types of things can takes months, or years to get through… then you always have to worry about the biological parents…" Luke began having second thoughts.

"Luke, we'll find one that's perfect for us, I'm sure." Lorelai smiled. "It's obviously meant for us to adopt."

Luke forced a smile. "Yeah… I guess it is."

The sound of a car pulling up into the driveway caught both their attention. Luke stood from the kitchen table and looked out the window.

"Who do we know that drives a silver mustang?" Luke asked.

"Uhhh…. Non one." Lorelai replied skeptically.

Luke watched as Rory stepped out of the vehicle. "It's Rory." Luke replied surprised.

"Rory?" Lorelai jumped from her seat and stood beside Luke.

"Who is that in the driver's seat?"

"I have no idea." Lorelai squinted. "Why is some strange boy in a silver mustang dropping my daughter off in our driveway?"

"Good question." Luke opened the door. "I'll find out."

Luke walked outside and towards Rory. Lorelai quickly followed.

"Thanks again." Rory replied as she finally shut the door. She waved as the car pulled out of the driveway.

"Who was that?" Luke asked immediately.

Rory was still a little dreamy. "Tristan." She faintly answered as she watched the car drive off down the street.

"Tristan who?" Lorelai asked just as up tightly.

"DuGray." Rory smiled. "He gave me a ride home."

Lorelai stepped in front of Luke. "Rory, I don't recall telling you it was alright for you to ride home with a boy."

Rory's daydreaming ceased when she realized her mother and Luke were angry with her.

"It's just Tristan. He's a really good driver."

"I don't care if he's Richard Petty, you don't get in a car with him." Lorelai snapped.

"How old is this kid?" Luke asked as he followed his arms.

"He's sixteen." Rory replied in a timid voice. She was unsure if her answer was good or bad at this point. "He just offered me a ride home, so I wouldn't have to sit alone on the bus."

"Next time he offers you a ride, tell him no." Luke replied coolly.

"Why? I don't understand what the big deal is."

Jess was returning home from the bookstore just in time to see Luke, Lorelai, and Rory standing out in the lawn arguing.

"Dear, God." Lorelai moaned.

"What?" Luke asked quickly looking back at Lorelai.

"She likes him." Lorelai replied dropping her arms to her side.

Luke's focus went directly back to Rory. "You like him?"

"That's none of your business." Rory replied sharply.

"Rory." Lorelai scolded.

"Well, it isn't." Rory defended. "I don't know if I like him or not, but even if I did, why would that matter?"

"Hey, drop the attitude!" Lorelai replied. "You know better than this, Rory."

"I didn't do anything!"

Jess quickly walked over beside Rory. He assumed the conversation was about his and Rory's feelings for each other.

"Hey, leave her alone." Jess stepped up between Luke and Rory.

"Jess, stay out of this." Luke replied.

"Don't be mad at her." Jess continued. "You guys just need to get over this whole thing, right now."

"Jess, this doesn't concern you, stay out of it." Luke repeated more forcefully.

"What do you mean it doesn't concern me?" Jess asked, obviously confused.

"Jess, please…" Rory replied in a lower voice. "Just go inside."

Jess turned around. "What is he talking about, Rory?"

"Nothing… just go."

Jess could tell by the look on Rory's face that their disagreement truly had nothing to do with him. "It's about another guy?" Jess asked. "Dean? Don't tell me it's Dean."

"It's not, Dean." Rory replied angrily.

"Jess, go inside!" Luke instructed. "Now."

Jess took a final look at Rory. "Okay… fine." He stuffed his hands into his pockets and took off.

"I don't get it…. You let me go out with Dean."

"Dean didn't drive…." Luke noted.

"And we knew Dean… We've never even met this guy." Lorelai added. "Rory, what if you had gotten into a wreck? We wouldn't have known where you were, or how to get to you…" Lorelai's voice sounded more concerned now than angry.

"Look, it was just a ride. I'm not a kid anymore. I'll be driving too in just a few more months." Rory attempted to walk inside.

Luke stepped in front of her. "I don't care how old you are, you're safety comes first."

"I was safe." Rory remarked.

"I'll judge safety from now on." Luke pointed to himself.

"What is your deal, Luke?" Rory's asked disgustingly.

"My deal? I'll tell you my deal, I'm here to look out for you. And when I see you pull up into the driveway with a guy who I've never met before, I get to be angry."

"No you don't." Rory sassed. "You're not my father."

"Well, I'm the closest damn thing you have!" Luke's voice rose tremendously. It was very possible that every neighbor had heard his remark. Rory's shoulder sank and she stepped back several feet. Tears began to whelm in her eyes.

Luke looked back at Lorelai for some type of reinforcement. Lorelai walked over beside him.

"I'll take care of this." Lorelai replied in a low whisper. She walked over and took Rory by the arm. "Come on."


	50. Just A Little More

Inside Rory's room:

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Lorelai asked obviously very frustrated. "You do not talk to Luke like that." She immediately scolded.

"He's invading my personal space." Rory defended, as she dried at her eyes. She quickly tried to pull herself back together. She hated crying in front of people.

"No, he's trying to protect you." Lorelai corrected. "And he's right, he's the closest thing you have to a father, and he loves you, Rory."

"I _just_ don't see why you're making a big deal over this. It was a car ride… nothing more."

"It could have been more." Lorelai replied. "Besides, you're not old enough to car date."

"Car date?" Rory asked annoyed. "Mom, I never even mentioned car dating. Tristan was just being nice and brining me home."

"Well, as nice of a gesture as that may seem, I'd prefer if you rode the bus everyday from now on."

"Mom, I'm not a kid… please realize that."

"I do realize that. And that's exactly why I'm enforcing these rules. Apparently, it wasn't clear before, so now I'm going to leave no room for guessing. You're not to get in a car with a boy or a girl, for that matter, without my approval first. If something happens and you miss your bus, then call a cab and Luke and I will pay the bill when you get home. If for some reason you cant get a hold of a cab company, call me… I'll leave work and personally come to pick you up. Any questions?"

"Several." Rory retorted. "But I'll pass on asking them."

"You're going to apologize to Luke. And until I tell you otherwise, you're grounded."

"I suddenly feel like Jess." Rory replied under her breath.

"Well, it's what you get for acting like him. And speaking of whom, what was he talking about out on the lawn?"

"I have no idea." Rory lied.

"I think you do." Lorelai countered.

"Mom… I really, really, don't want to get into another Jess argument."

Lorelai sighed. "Fine, go apologize to Luke. He's in the living the room."

Rory did as she was told. Luke didn't say anything, he merely sat there and nodded his head a couple of times. He knew Lorelai had forced Rory to apologize, therefore, it didn't really reconcile the hurt she had caused a few minutes before. Lorelai sat down on the couch beside Luke. Her head was pounding.

"I can literally feel the gray hairs growing from my scalp." She moaned. "Luke, I'm sorry. Rory is usually one of the most well-mannered and soft spoken kids you'll ever meet. You know that."

Luke sighed. "She's not been soft spoken in months… not to mention the dry sarcastic remarks…"

Lorelai cast Luke an awkward stare. "What are you talking about?"

"Come on, you're just now noticing the attitude? The cockiness? The narcissism?"

"Excuse me? Are we talking about Rory or Jess?" She asked as she repositioned herself on the couch.

"Don't play that crap, Lorelai. I don't want hear it."

"Look, I get that she hurt your feelings, but…."

"No. See you don't get it." Luke interrupted. "How am I supposed to be a father figure when I have no say in what goes on in her life? I can't make rules… I can't make decisions… I can't distribute punishment. What purpose do I have? Let me tell you, standing still and looking pretty isn't really my thing."

"Hey, I don't tell you how to raise Jess." Lorelai replied.

"Ha, I'd love some help on how to parent him. Maybe, if I had a little help, things wouldn't be so damn screwed up around here."

Lorelai's eyes narrowed. "Are we seriously doing this?"

"Yeah… we are." Luke stood from the couch. "Things are going to have to change."

"So, I guess this is why you're hell bent on having your own child… so you can boss it around…"

"Not boss it around." Luke corrected. "Play a part in its life. Have a little bit control."

"What are you, power hungry?" Lorelai asked as she stood as well. "Cause I'm not a big fan of patriarchy… "

"God, would you stop twisting my words around?" Luke replied in frustration. "I wish you could see things from my point of view, just once."

"And I wish you would take your own advice."

Luke exhaled deeply. "I can't do this… I thought I could… but I can't…" he hung his head.

"Can't do what?" Lorelai asked immediately eager to know what he was backing out of.

"Make this family work." Luke said solemnly. "I thought if we just hung in there… and gave it time… and had a couple kids of our own, it'd all eventually pull together. Instead, we're farther apart than ever."

"Luke, nothing is worth having if it comes easy." Lorelai insightfully replied. "I admit we're not the Cleavers, but hey, we're not the Osbournes either so I think we're doing pretty well." She ended highly.

Luke couldn't help but let a tiny smile cross his face. He hated when she would use a clever analogy to ease a heavy situation, but at the same time he found it impossible to not admire it.

"Look, maybe we both need to try a little harder. If you want, I'll try to become more involved with Jess…"

Luke nearly laughed. "No… I don't think that would be a good idea. It'd never fly over too well."

"Oh, thank God." Lorelai replied relieved. "You have no idea how hard that was for me to say."

"I was just venting about the whole Jess thing… Jess is… He's nearly grown, you know… and he's been doing really great here lately. I don't… I don't know why I said that." Luke gazed down at the floor. "Man, I feel like a three year old."

"I really do want you involved more with Rory. Even if she does try to block you out… I'm really worried that… well…" She paused. "I don't want her to follow in my footsteps…"

Luke glanced back up at Lorelai. "I can't imagine what you thought when you saw her step out of the car with that boy."

"Oh, you have no idea." Lorelai replied. "I – I don't want to call attention to it though, because I'm afraid that may make her want to do it more. I want to teach her what is wrong and right without making it sound like I'm lecturing her."

"I understand." Luke smiled.

"My mom was pregnant at sixteen, then I turned around and did the same thing, but I want more for Rory… I want her to go to college and get a great education and be somebody. And she can be Luke. She's smart enough… she's motivated enough… she wants it just as badly as I do for her."

"Exactly." Luke pointed out. "So, I really don't think you have as much to worry about as you think."

"but it only takes one time…" Lorelai replied softly. "One time of letting her guard down… one time of trying something new… and then being smart or motivated or driven… it just doesn't matter anymore."

Realizing they were both in need of a warm hug, Luke walked over and embraced Lorelai. "If only they came with handbooks when they were born." He joked.

Lorelai giggled. "Maybe they do at the adoption agency."

"Maybe." Luke smiled.


	51. Bye Bye Baby

Rory knocked on the basement door several times.

"Jess, I know you're down there. Please open the door." She called. Finally, she opened the door and let herself in.

"You know.." Jess began as he met her half way up the stairs. "When someone doesn't open the door, it usually means they don't want to be bothered."

"I got grounded…" Rory spat.

"Grounded?" Just asked suddenly interested. "What evil thing did you do that would make your mom ground you? Break one of your barbies?"

"It wasn't evil. It wasn't anything." Rory ranted. "A friend from Chilton brought me home in his car, and mom and Luke both pulled a mommy dearest."

Jess walked back down the stairs and Rory followed.

"So, you found a new boyfriend just like that, huh?" Jess asked. "Not surprised, really."

"Tristan isn't my boyfriend. He just gave me a ride home."

"So, you're telling me, that some guy who you've known for what, 4 days? Drove forty-five minutes here and back, out of the kindness of his heart?"

"I don't know why Tristan offered…" Rory defended.

"Okay, well, here's a better question. Why did you take him up on his offer?" Jess' eyes narrowed.

"Because, the bus ride is long and boring and lonesome and it sounded like a good idea at that time. But obviously, and as everyone has pointed out, it wasn't a good a idea."

"Look, what's going on with us, huh? Are we a couple or not?"

"Jess…"

"No, I want to know. We've been acting like a couple for months, but it doesn't mean anything to you does it?"

"What happened to just taking things slow and see where we end up?" Rory asked.

"That all kind of went out the window when you hopped in the car with another guy." Jess replied. "Let me guess… this time it can't be grades or personality… so what could it be? Ah… Money." Jess began. "A car." He continued. "Tell me, does he bare a resemblance to Brad Pitt? Cause if you say yes, then I'm out right now.'

"Shut up!" Rory sneered.

"Then again, you're no Jennifer Aniston."

"Stop it! You're acting just like you used to."

"And so are you!" Jess replied. "I can't believe I thought I was getting through to you." Jess walked over to his desk and pulled out a stack of papers.

"Why is this my fault? What have I done?" Rory's voice became higher.

"Just say it." Jess turned his head back to the girl. "You love me. You want to be with me. But it can never happen… and that makes it all the better for you. All the excitement would go away if it were condoned by Luke and Lorelai or the entire town for that matter. No, you like it just like this… I'm here whenever you want me, but as soon as some guy with a cheesy smile and blue eyes comes along you're gone. Well, you know what, Rory. This time…. I'm the one who's leaving." He shoved the papers under Rory's face.

"What is this?" Rory asked as she noticed a government seal. She grabbed the papers. "Jess, you can't be serious… The navy?"

"I am serious." Jess replied smugly.

"Whatever…. You wouldn't make it a day in the navy. They yell at you, you know. They give you orders… and you Mr. James Dean, don't do well with taking orders."

"I'll deal." Jess replied as he grabbed the papers out of her hands. "I figure if you can take off to Chilton and live your new life, then hell, I might as well give it a shot too. I'd fair no better anywhere else."

"So, what… you're just gonna quit high school? Give up on college?"

"I never cared about high school, and I _never _wanted to go to college. That was all your idea." Jess jerked a duffel bag out from under his bed.

"Are you packing?" Rory asked, unable to believe her eyes.

Jess didn't answer.

"Let me guess, you're running off in the middle of the night to join the navy?" Rory replied sarcastically. "Wow, have I ever told you that your mindset amazes me?"

"I'm leaving in the morning…" Jess replied.

"How long have you been planning this?"

"A couple of weeks…" Jess grabbed some shirts from his drawer.

"Luke or mom haven't said anything…"

"Why would they. They don't know."

"Oh, my God…"

"If you haven't figured it out by now, I don't go around spreading my personal business. I can take care of myself and I don't need anyone butting in. I've met with a recruiter twice this week, I've been to the doctor and had a physical… all I have to do is take the first bus out of Stars Hollow tomorrow for Maryland."

"Maryland?"

"Boot camp is there… I'll be there for a few weeks before they I actually become a soldier." Jess continued packing.

Rory slowly sat down on the bed. "You _are_ serious…."

"As a heart attack." Jess nonchalantly replied reaching around the girl to grab his toothbrush and comb.

"I don't understand… how can they just take you without Luke's permission."

"Permission?" Jess nearly laughed. "Luke is my uncle, Rory. He's not my dad. I haven't seen my dad in fourteen years, no phone calls, emails, or birthday cards… my mom is dead… and I am officially emancipated."

Rory wasn't sure what emancipated meant, but if it was anything similar to history it meant something along the lines of Jess was free or independent.

"Jess, you can't just leave…" Rory's voice was tender and sincere. "I know things are rough, but… this isn't the answer."

Jess ignored the girl's soft voice and warm words. He had already made up his mind that even if she begged him to stay, he'd still say no. He was tired. He had been a slave for too long. Anything, even taking orders and being treated like dirt for six weeks, was better than facing Rory every day.

A quick sniffle escaped from Rory's small body. Jess looked up to see the girl raise from the bed and rush off up the stairs. He sighed heavily, and zipped up his bag. He knew he'd never get any sleep tonight, but perhaps he could sleep some on the bus tomorrow.


	52. He'll Return A Man Someday

"Please…" Rory begged. "Try to talk him out of this…"

Luke exhaled deeply. "Rory…. Maybe joining the navy would be a good thing. I mean, he'll learn to respect authority, and he'll form bonds and make friends…"

Rory's eyes batted back and forth quickly. "How can you just let him go? He's sixteen."

"When I was sixteen, I was taking care of my younger sister and working… I had a house to take care of, bills to pay. Your mom and I worked hard for everything when we were younger and it's taught both of us so much. We're better because of it."

"You're giving up on him." Rory's eyes began to tear up. "Just admit it."

"No. I'm not." Luke replied. "I'm hoping more than anything that this may be what it takes to get Jess back on track."

"We can get him back on track. _Us_… you, me, mom…" A single tear rolled down her cheek.

Luke reached over and put his hand on Rory's shoulder. "Rory, Jess made this decision… and I think it's a good one. I don't want to discourage him from this. He's not like you. He wasn't close to either of his parents… he's never been good in school or had dreams to go to college."

"Look, if you're mad over what I said earlier today, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to say those things… I - I …" Rory hung her head.

"Don't worry about earlier today. Sometimes we all say things we don't mean." Luke attempted to pull the young girl into a hug, but Rory backed away.

"Where's mom?" She asked.

"Upstairs…"

Without a word being said, Rory rushed up to her mother's room. Surely, Lorelai would step up and make things right. Her mother had never let her down before. Several minutes later, Rory sat on the edge of Luke and Lorelai's bed trying to comprehend their reasoning.

"Sweetie… Jess knows what he wants." Lorelai began. "This could be a great opportunity for him. You should encourage him."

"He's not thinking clearly." Rory muttered.

"The navy isn't a bad thing, Rory. It's not like prison or alternative school." Luke bent down in front of her. "He'll become a very proud man. He'll have self respect…"

"He shouldn't have to go the navy to get it." Rory countered.

"Well, how respectful have you been towards, Jess?" Lorelai asked.

"What?" Rory asked.

"You don't exactly treat him like gold." Luke replied. "He doesn't get any respect from teaches or peers either."

Rory shook her head several times. Arguing over this was pointless, no one else saw it her way. "Fine… if everyone thinks it's such a good idea, then I guess it must be." She angrily bolted up from the bed. "Good night." She rushed out the door and down the stairs to her room.

Lorelai sighed and stood from the bed.

"Where you going?" Luke asked.

"Basement…" Lorelai replied vaguely.

After several knocks, Jess finally opened the door. He was surprised to see Lorelai standing on the other side. He had expected Rory to come back for round two.

"Hey. Can I come in for a few?" Lorelai aside pleasantly.

"She told you?"

"Who told me what?" Lorelai asked.

"Alright… come in." Jess opened the door wider.

Lorelai followed down into the basement. It was the first time she had been in it since Jess had moved in.

"Wow… this place doesn't even look like a basement anymore. Definitely better since you've re-decorated."

"I wouldn't call it re-decorating." Jess replied as he sat down at his desk.

"In any sense… it's very cool. Shame you'll be leaving it behind." Lorelai added smoothly.

Jess smiled. "Yeah, well, win some and lose some."

Lorelai sat down on a large storage trunk beside Jess' desk. She prepared herself to be taken more seriously. "She has a funny way of showing it, Jess… but she does care about you."

"Not the way I care about her." Jess openly stated. He felt no need to hide his feelings any longer. Truth was truth, and it needed said.

"Sometimes you can never really tell with Rory." Lorelai leaned back against the wall. "I know she's very upset over you leaving. That tells me she's going to miss you."

"Yeah. I'll miss her too." Jess agreed. "But my mind is made up."

"I know that. I'm not here to change to your mind." Lorelai cleared her throat. "Just – Just know that you don't _have _ to go, Jess. You're more than welcome to stay here. Things have been crazy, for lack of a better term, for all of us. I can't blame you for wanting out. But… just know, you don't have to go…"

A smile crept across Jess' face. "Thanks, Lorelai."

"Well, I guess all I can say now is: Good luck." Lorelai stood from the trunk. "If you want, we'll come with you to the bus station in the morning."

Jess stood as well. "Actually, I'd rather go it alone."

"Okay." Lorelai whispered. "Understandable."

They stood in silence for several seconds. It was the longest conversation they had ever had and definitely the most meaningful. Maybe it was Lorelai's motherly instinct or maybe it was some other bizarre reason, but at that moment she felt sorry for Jess. She could sense his fear and loneliness. His secret desires to fit it… be normal… have a family. In so many ways his feelings were a reflection of her own. Lorelai reached over and quickly hugged Jess. It only lasted for a couple of seconds, but it was powerful none the less. Not another word was spoken between them. Lorelai walked out of the basement and closed the door behind her. Jess started off into space for several moments before turning off the lamp and laying down in his bed. He lay there for hours, his head cloudy and aching.

The next morning, Luke was the first to awake. He walked downstairs, hoping to at least say goodbye to Jess before he had gone. It was too late, however, Jess had gotten up hours before and was already on his way to Maryland. He left a note on the basement door for Luke and Lorelai. Luke opened it and read it to himself:

L&L:

Thank you. For everything. You've tried more than any other two people in the world ever would have. Be confident in my decision. I am. I hope you both get what you need to keep each other strong. I'll write when I get settled into boot camp.

Sincerely,

Jess M.

_**A/N: Alright, folks… that's it! Lol. I hope you've enjoyed the story. It seems like I've been writing it for years and some parts felt dragged out and boring, but all and all I'm satisfied. Just a reminder that I'm planning to write a third July Rain soon. Probably the story of my next. I feel I need to step away from this story for a while and regroup my ideas and thoughts. I also have another story I'm wanting to start. Anyway, leave your final reviews for me and be sure to keep a look out for July Rain III. **_


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